Siren Song
by Calla Mae
Summary: What would happen if Bilbo found a girl who was thought to be a myth? How can he possibly hide her when thirteen dwarves and a wizard come by unexpectedly? Joining their quest might mean their lives, but how far would Thorin be willing to let her accompany them? For one so new to life out of water, how much help could she really be? Thorin/OC
1. are you my family

There were a few nights a months when a flutter was felt in the water near the Shire; a deep quivering that sent most of the living things away in fear. It was that pulse that brought one near, one who had spent many years too timid to discover the cause of the disturbance.

She swam through currents she had never traveled before, searching for the change in the water she could feel in her bones. She heard a muffled sound and brought her head out of the water; a loud whoop reached her ears and she shrank back under to hide. She jumped when she heard the boom, feeling the water tremble in the way she had been searching for. She crept forward, her head rising slightly above the surface, hearing laughter that sounded strange coming from above the water.

She gasped when a bright light flashed and another boom sounded, the night illuminated for a moment before dark settled in again. She swam towards the bank, watching for the light. A smile curled on her lips when she saw it again, a lovely blue, though she dove under the water when the lights moved closer to the water; watching beneath the ripples as they flew over.

A few more booms and rounds of cheers and laughter, before she peeked her head over the surface. A few moments longer and she laid her head and chest on a rock as she watched the lights dance in the air. She stared in awe at the different shapes – recognizing one as a dragon – and others she didn't know. She laid for hours staring at the sky waiting for the flashes of light, listening to the cheers and whoops of the strange creatures on land.

"Excuse me."

She blinked herself awake, the light of the sun blinding her sleepy eyes. She raised herself on her arms, her lower body still swaying in the current of the water, looking about for what had woken her.

"Is everything alright?"

She jerked up at the sound of a voice, seeing a man with hairy feet staring at her from on land.  
"Oh my," he stuttered upon looking at the lower part of her body, "is that a tail?"

She followed his eyes to look upon what she recognized as her scaled fin before looking back at him.  
"You do not exist," he exclaimed staring at her wide eyed.

She lept into the water when he moved closer, though she had gone too close to the bank to see the lights and all around her was too shallow to swim.

"Wait," the man said as he tiptoed into the water, "I did not mean to frighten you."

She used her hands and arms to crawl forward, seeing that he was moving much faster towards her than she was moving away.

"Ow," he cried when she whipped her tail at him. "I mean no harm, really. Please," he said as she continued to crawl deeper into the water.

She looked back once more and saw him standing where she had hit him, his face crestfallen as he stared at her. She stayed where she was as she looked him over, seeing he did not have anything that would hurt her. She sat up, the water barely reaching her stomach, and continued to watch him.

"It's alright," he said soothingly when she cowered as he stepped closer. He ceased moving, seeing she did not want him near, and instead walked the short way back to the bank. He had turned his back on her and he thought she would surely not be there when he turned back, though his heart swelled when he saw she was still where she had been sitting. He sat by the waterside waiting for her to move, and after what felt like hours she slowly crawled closer. His belly was growling for food when she had come close enough to touch.

"Are you hungry?" he asked and he watched as she contemplated her answer before nodding. "Stay here," he said before going to the trees.  
She turned the bright red food he had given her in her hands, what he had told her was an apple. She looked up and watched him bite into his apple before following suit, the taste of it tart on her tongue. Her tail was warming in the sun, having crawled out of the water to sit beside him.

"Do you like it?" he asked and she nodded. "Can you talk?" he asked and after a moment of thinking she nodded again. He waited for her to speak though she only continued to stare at him. "Do you have a name?"

She wondered how to answer him, her language filled with singing and squeaks. So she shook her head. "What is your name?" she asked, surprising him with her voice.

His chest puffed slightly as he smiled. "Bilbo Baggins, at your service."

"Bilbo Baggins," she said slowly, her mouth wrapping around the words that were strange to her. Her voice lilted in a way he heard no other, it was thick and deep and entirely lovely.

"You do not have a name?" he asked again and again she shook her head. He looked around him wonderingly before he turned back to her. "Daisy, do you like that?" he asked after he spotted the flowers.

She thought quickly before wrinkling her nose and shaking her head.

Bilbo looked around again. "Rose?" Again she shook her head. "Lily? Poppy? Petunia? Tulip?" To all of these she shook her head, though she was smiling as she looked at him. Bilbo sighed and thought hard, wondering what to call her. He looked about him, mostly staring at her, thinking of all the names he knew. "Pearl?" he asked and he watched her brows furrow. He smiled when she nodded, giving a small laugh. "Pearl, a lovely name."

She shifted as she sat, feeling much too warm in the sun. But she had never done more than see the creatures on land, though the small man with the hairy feet was something she had never seen.

"What were you doing when I found you?" Bilbo asked.  
She thought for a moment, trying to recall the word for what she had been doing. "I was resting."  
"What brought you here?"  
"The lights," she said happily remember the different colors and shapes. "What were they?"  
Bilbo looked away from her as he thought, wondering what she meant. "Oh," he said when he understood, "those were fireworks."  
"Fireworks?" she said amazed.  
"Are you alright?" he asked upon seeing her face contort in pain a moment later. "Pearl?" He watched wide eyed as her scaled fin changed to the color of flesh, and then stood in shock when it looked as though as it were melting; though he blinked and when he opened his eyes he was staring at a pair of legs.

* * *

_This is an idea I've had since about the time the Return of the King came out, but I just never did anything with it. So when I saw the Hobbit the idea came back and now I have made this chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, so if you're interested let me know. She won't have any special powers except that she has a fin when she's wet, so she won't really be a mary sue; except that she's very beautiful, and small, and obviously a mermaid. Again, if you would like to read more then please let me know or else I'll just scrap this idea all together. I am also open to any suggestions and criticisms, so long as they are not mean. Thank you for reading._


	2. can I stay with you a while

Bilbo stared at the woman, who was looking down at her legs in horror.

"I don't understand," she said quietly, looking up at him with eyes as blue as the sea.

"Your tail," he said trying to find a way to relieve her, "it dried in the sun."  
She looked at her legs and then back up at him before nodding, taking his answer for truth. "I have never been out of the water this long," she admitted.

Bilbo stared at her, seeing for the first time that she was not clothed and he realized he did not know what to do with her. Mermaids were creatures of myth, hardly spoken of except for in children's tales. Though there one sat before him, completely bare and innocent to the world. He was a hobbit, a respectable one; but by golly he was a gentleman too. He knew he couldn't just walk her up to his hobbit-hole, there were too many hobbits out to see. He couldn't very well give her his shirt, then there would be talk of how indecent he was and he most certainly would not let that happen.  
"Wait here," he said before turning towards Hobbiton and making his way to his hobbit-hole. He pilfered around through his mother's things, searching for a dress that would fit her. Pearl was not much taller than himself he figured, though she was much thinner than his mother had been. He finally found a dress that had been his mother's before she was married, a light blue thing that ended in lace and tiny pink flowers. He was just about to walk out the front door when he realized how strange it would be for him to be carrying a dress.  
_You're a fool, Bilbo Baggins_, he told himself. He looked around before he found a satchel, into which he shoved the dress ,before making his way back to Pearl. He greeted those who bid him a good morning, stopping to talk with the nosiest of the bunch, but he finally found her exactly where he left her.

"Here, I'm not sure but I think it will fit," he said pulling the dress out and handing it her. He watched as she turned the dress over in her hands, staring at it as though it were something great; until he realized she did not know what it was. "You wear it," he said, and she looked up at him confused. He understood then that he would have to assist her and he felt his cheek redden at the thought.

"Bilbo Baggins?" she said softly in her sweet accented voice. "What do I do?"

He sighed uncomfortably before taking the dress from her and slipping it over her head. She continued to sit, the dress falling over her head and chest and pooled at her waist. "Come on," he said holding his hands out for her, helping her to stand when she took them. He caught her when her knees gave way, righting her once more.  
"I am," she said trying to find the word for what she meant. "Bilbo Baggins, what am I doing?" he asked when she could not think of it.  
"Standing," he said, smiling at her naiveté. He looked her over, seeing his mother's dress fit her better than he'd thought if not a little loose on her. He could see her small feet, completely bare of hair, the dress not long enough to fit her taller frame.

"Why do I have to wear this?" she asked not understanding the need for the dress.

"It is indecent not to," Bilbo answered, helping her step forward. She stumbled and fell to her knees and he lifted her to keep walking. After several more steps she could walking without holding his hands, though she still stumbled occasionally.  
"I'm walking," she said surprising Bilbo with her knowing that word. "Look, Bilbo Baggins," she laughed happily.

"Very good," he said until he thought of something; how was he supposed to get her to his hobbit-hole?He sat down perplexed, finding no answer. _I can't very well put her in the satchel_, he thought. "You will be a distant cousin," he told her seriously and waited for her to nod. "You don't speak much and you're only visiting for a short while."

She nodded in agreement. "Is this being honest?" she asked.  
"No," he said feeling guilty. "This is lying. But don't tell anyone what you are," he warned and waited for her agreement. He turned nervously, seeing she was stepping more casually as she got the hang of walking, before going back through Hobbiton. He saw those from far away staring at him and Pearl strangely, them having never seen her before. Those who were closer tried to hail him.  
"Sorry, forgive me Longo I have to see to my cousin, Pearl."  
"And of who's relations is she?" his actual cousin, Longo Baggins, asked.

"My mother's," he said quickly, leading Pearl away as she stared at everything around her in awe.

"Hmm," Longo hummed appraising Pearl. "She does have something Tookish about her," he said much to Bilbo's relief.

"Well she has had a long travel and I must see to her in my home, it was nice seeing you. Good day," Bilbo said ushering Pearl away quickly when he saw Camellia Sacksville coming towards them.

"Good day," Longo called, following Bilbo and the young woman with his eyes as Bilbo rushed her towards Bag End.

"That was a close one," Bilbo said leaning against the door after he'd closed it, happy that he had gotten her inside without many setbacks. "Well, I am very hungry. Would you like something?" he asked turning to Pearl. He smiled when he saw her face alight with amazement as she looked at everything.  
She looked at him and nodded before moving to a chair, looking at it for a little while before timidly sitting in it.

Bilbo pilfered around in his pantry for something for her to eat, not sure what mermaids ate. And so he settled with a biscuit, crackers and cheese. He brought the platter into the sitting room where he left her and found her with her legs curled on the chair fast asleep. He set the platter down before grabbing a blanket and placing it over her, smiling as she stirred slightly only to settle once more. He took the platter to the dinner table before smearing the cheese on a cracker, wondering what he was supposed to do with a mermaid.


	3. can I stop off in your bed tonight

Bilbo had peeked his head into the sitting room to see Pearl still asleep and he went to his own room to rest for the night. He woke with a start at the sound of something falling to the floor, and grabbing a robe he hurried out of his room to see what it was.  
"Sorry," Pearl said sheepishly, on her knees righting the chair she had knocked over.

"What on earth were you doing?" he asked helping her to her feet.

"I wanted to see in there and I knocked that over," she said pointing first to his mother's glory box and then to the chair.  
"Well this is a chair," he said motioning to it, "and this is something private."  
She looked at Bilbo a moment, seeing he did not want her looking in the box, and so she nodded. "I'm sorry," she said again.  
"Oh, that's alright," Bilbo said brushing her apology off; he knew there were still so many things she did not understand about life on land. "Would you like breakfast?" he asked as he stomach grumbled and she nodded.

"You use a knife to cut the food, and the fork to pick it up," she said repeating what he told her. "What do I use this for?" she asked holding a spoon.  
"That is for soups," he said. "They are watery," he explained upon seeing her confusion.  
She watched him as he ate, mimicking his movements as she tried a biscuit and then what he called fruit. She popped the grapes in her mouth as he showed her, and he smiled as he watched her.  
"Would you like a bath?" he asked after they had finished. "Come," he said seeing she did not understand, and led her to the wooden tub near the back of the house.  
"Where is the water coming from?" she asked staring at the faucet as it filled the tub.  
"It comes through pipes from the river."  
"This is a bath?" she asked, staring into the tub. "Do I get in?"  
"Yes. Take the dress off," he said quickly when she moved to step in. "It does not get wet."  
She looked down at the dress thinking it was more a hindrance than anything else. "It's warm," she said, having dipped her fingers in the water, as Bilbo helped her out of the dress.  
"Yes, bath water usually is," he said trying not to look at her; wishing for his mother if only to relieve him of seeing her without clothes. Though if he were honest, she was truly very lovely. "Oh dear," he exclaimed as she fell, catching her around the waist. He looked down and saw her fin quivering on the floor.

"Why did it come back?" she asked after Bilbo helped her into the tub.  
"I suppose," he said confusedly, "it was because you touched the water. How odd."  
Pearl slipped under the surface and reveled in the warmth, the sea usually being much colder. Bilbo stared down at her, seeing for the first time three very small slits beneath her jaw on either side of her neck.

"She has gills," he said to himself, shaking his head as he turned away. "What am I supposed to do with a mermaid? A mermaid! How in the world do you get yourself in these situations, Bilbo Baggins?" Bilbo said as he moved through the house, finding himself in a great need for air and a smoke. He sighed comfortably as he sat on the bench outside his home, his eyes closed as he relaxed on that warm morning. He sat puffing on his pipe until a puff of smoke hit him in the face, his eyes opening as he was broken from his reverie.  
Upon opening his eyes he was met with a gray clothed old man, several feet taller than himself. He stared up at the old man, who was leaning on his cane smiling down at him. "Good morning," he said, not knowing what else to say; he did not know who the large man was and why he was standing outside his gate.

"What do you mean?" the man asked boring into Bilbo with his all-too knowing eyes. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it to be or not? Or perhaps you mean to say you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating this is a morning to be good on?" the man asked.  
Bilbo stared up at him, closing his mouth when he realized it was open; not having the slightest idea on how to respond. "All of them at once I suppose," he said unsure, not liking the appraising look the gray man was giving him. "Can I help you?" he asked, still not knowing who he was.

"That remains to be seen," the man said quietly as he continued to stare down at Bilbo.  
Bilbo wondered, a panicking thought, if the man knew of Pearl.

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure," the man said and Bilbo nearly sighed in relief. That is until the man's words settled in his mind, and then Bilbo was left to stare up at him in appalled astonishment.

"An adventure? I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures," he said rising to his feet. "Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things," he said checking his mail, wanting the man to go away. "They make you late for dinner." He looked through his mail, humming at some of them to make it seem as though it were important, hearing a soft feminine sound drift through his window. He quickly put out his pipe, not wanting the man to know Pearl was in his house. "Well, g'morning."

"To think I should have lived to be good morninged by Belladonna Took's son as if I were selling buttons by the door."  
Bilbo turned back to the man, halfway up his steps already, at his mother's name. "I beg your pardon?"  
"You've changed and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins," the man said disappointedly.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Bilbo asked knowing for a fact he did not recall meeting the old man.

"You know my name, although you don't remember I belong to it. I'm Gandalf, and Gandalf means," the man stopped short as he thought a moment, "me."

"Not Gandalf the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks," Bilbo said realizing he did know the man. "No idea you were still in business," he said looking at the man's weathered face.

"Where else should I be?" the wizard asked, Bilbo realizing he had insulted him. "Well I am pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it's only my fireworks."  
A beautiful voice, so soft and quiet yet loud enough to reach their ears was heard for a brief moment, Bilbo the only one to know where it came from. Gandalf raised his head, staring up curiously at the sound as though he too knew knew what type of creature made it.

"Well that's decided," Gandalf said turning back to Bilbo. "It'll be very good for you and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others."  
Bilbo jumped at this. "Inform the who? What, no, no," he said upon remember the talk of adventure. "We do not want any adventures here, thank you, today. I suggest you try over the hill or across the water. Good morning, "Bilbo said as he hurried into his home, his back against the door. He waited a few moments before peeking through the window and was startled by Gandalf's face looking through. Bilbo hid, hoping Pearl would keep quiet, and looked back to see the wizard was gone. Bilbo's shoulders slumped in the utmost relief and he made his way towards the bath room.

"Who was outside?" Pearl asked when he entered, seeing she was sitting on the floor pressing a towel against her tail.  
"Someone offering something I did not want," he told her as he helped dry her off. This time he watched as her tail, still looking as though it was melting, split into two and formed legs. "That is amazing," he said staring down at her.

He spent the rest of the day showing her some of his things as well as his parents. "What is that?" she asked pointing to a drawing of one of his long since dead relatives holding a sword. "I don't like them."

"Have you seen one?"

"A man stabbed my fin trying to catch me once, a long time ago."  
"Well," Bilbo said trying to find a way to comfort her, "you won't find very many swords here. Besides," he said puffing out his chest, "I won't let anyone hurt you."  
Pearl smiled at him, not knowing any better and took his word for truth. Though Bilbo was finding himself growing fond of the mermaid, teaching her all he could. He was surprised at how much she already knew, having spent many years watching those on land, though she did not always know the word for it. He realized, as this had happened for the second time, that perhaps she normally stayed awake at night; for she had been looking very tired that day and was now asleep before dinner again. Bilbo pulled a blanket over her and cooked himself a nice looking fish he'd caught, having just picked up his fork to eat when a knock sounded at the door. He hurried towards it, seeing Pearl was sitting up startled. "Go to my room," he whispered shooing her away. "Don't come out until I come get you." She nodded before moving quietly to his room, and Bilbo hoped whoever it was at the door was not nosy. Though he never would have guessed who it was visiting.


	4. I could make you smile

_To all the guests who have reviewed, thank you very much. I greatly appreciate your reviews.  
I am not sure if I said this already, but the chapter titles come from the song Siren Song by Bat for Lashes._

* * *

Pearl sat on Bilbo's bed listening to heavy footfalls down the hall, wondering who had just come; remembering Bilbo's panicked face as he shooed her into hiding. She sat quietly, hardly breathing as she strained her ears to listen though she could only hear a muffled murmuring. Another bell chime tinkled through the hobbit-hole, Pearl now knowing that was the door and she wondered how many hobbits were coming to see Bilbo. Another chime sounded followed by Bilbo raising his voice though she did not know what he had said.

"There's nobody home," she heard Bilbo yell after the door chimed again. "Go away and bother somebody else." She heard a few crashes and thumps and booms, and then a commotion of voices as the door opened again. She sat for a long while, hearing many voices and laughter and booms and thunks and thumps as well as many footsteps as they went to the room where she had taken her bath, waiting patiently for Bilbo to come get her though she did not want to see who was making all the noise.

"It's over a hundred years old," she heard Bilbo yell unhappily. She heard more thunks, followed by many voices and it took her awhile before she realized what they were doing; singing. She sat listening to their voices when they grew loud enough to hear, not entirely pleasant, smiling at the words. She heard what she knew to be a flute as well as other things she did not know, and all the while she heard Bilbo's muffled yelling.

_that's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

She heard the sound of laughter though she paid little mind to it, as well as the loud pounding, her eye caught by strange pictures on a page.

"Bilbo Baggins," Gandalf said after the last visitor had entered, "allow me to introduce you to the leader of our Company, Thorin Oakenshield."

The dwarf who had just entered was taller than the others, more intimidating than the others as well as he stared down at Bilbo. "So," he said appraising Bilbo, "this is the hobbit. Tell me Mr Baggins have you done much fighting?" Thorin asked as he walked around Bilbo, sizing the small hobbit.

"Pardon me?" Bilbo asked not understanding why that was important.  
"Ax or sword? What is your weapon of choice?"

"Well I do have skill with conkers if you must know," Bilbo said making his voice deeper to make him sound stronger. "But I fail to see why that's relevant."

"Thought as much," Thorin said disapprovingly. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."  
Many chuckled at that, though not Bilbo, he was confused by why he should have looked like a burglar. Bilbo looked to Gandalf, seeing the wizard with his head tilted to the side and a queer look on his face. "Bilbo Baggins there is someone else here," Gandalf said a little harshly, surprising the hobbit.  
"No there isn't," Bilbo said quickly shaking his head. He had let the dwarves come, let them raid his pantry and ruin the plumbing, but he would not let them near Pearl.

"Was that a lie?" Gandalf said staring hard at him, making Bilbo shrink under his gaze. The dwarves had all silenced at the wizard's first words of there being someone else, and they all looked at Bilbo as well.  
"Yes," Bilbo said softly not looking at Gandalf.

"Perhaps you should go get her," the wizard said, Bilbo not catching that the wizard knew it was a woman.

"Did he say she?" Kili asked as Bilbo walked towards his room, very much not wanting to let them see Pearl.  
He found her sitting on his bed staring at a page he had written on, her brows furrowed as she looked at the words. "Are they gone?" she asked.  
"No, they wish to meet you," Bilbo admitted regretfully, wishing he were brave so that he might have refused. "Don't say anything about what you are," he warned before going back to where the others were. He watched their eyes widen when they saw Pearl, knowing they found her especially pleasing to the eye. "This is Pearl," he said reluctantly, looking back to see she was staring at the dwarves in awe.

"A fitting name," Fili said raking his eyes over her figure.  
"You did not say you had a wife," Balin said looking at the two, Pearl just slightly taller than Bilbo, standing close to his back.

Bilbo looked at the weathered dwarf in confusion before realizing he may keep Pearl out of this yet. "Yes, as you can see she is too lovely for just anyone's eyes. Especially those who have come unannounced and uninvited," he said hinting greatly at that he did not want them there.

"She does not have feet like yours," Ori noted, seeing her small hairless feet.

"She shaves them," Bilbo said quickly, growing rather uncomfortable from all the lies. "I am sure you are hungry," Bilbo said looking to Thorin who was staring hard at Pearl. The dwarf nodded before going to the table and sat at the head of it waiting to be served.

"Would you like anything?" Bilbo asked Pearl quietly as they followed behind the others.  
"Are they hobbits too?" she whispered and Bilbo's eyes widened.  
"No," he said trying to hush her, having caught the attention of Dwalin, "they are dwarves."

"What is that?" she asked curiously, obviously having never seen a dwarf.  
"Shh." He looked back at her, immediately feeling guilty upon seeing her reprimanded face, and he gave her a small smile. Pearl continued to stand behind Bilbo, who stood in the doorway to the dining room behind the chair Thorin sat in, watching as the dwarves spoke.  
"You have the smallest feet on a grown woman I've ever seen," Bofur said looking at Pearl's feet, having noticed them when Ori mentioned them.  
Pearl lifted the skirts of her dress a bit to see them. "Thank you," she said smiling at Bofur, "I've never had feet before."  
"I will get you something in the kitchen," Bilbo nearly yelled pushing her out of the dwarves' sight.

"What did she say?" Oin asked having not heard. All of the dwarves stared after Pearl in confusion, thinking for her all her beauty she may be slow.

"You can't say things like that," he whispered harshly knowing the wizard would more likely guess what she was before the dwarves.

"Well I haven't," Pearl said not understanding what she had done wrong.

Bilbo sighed, trying not to yell at her. "Do not say anything that could relate to what you are," he said mouthing the last three words. He waited for her to nod before moving back to where he had stood before.

"the reign of the beast will end," Oin said catching Bilbo's attention with a jolt.

"Um, what beast?" Bilbo asked feeling panic rise in his belly.

"That would be a reference to Smaug the terrible," Bofur said, "chiefest and greatest calamity of our age." A silence settled over everyone at his words. "Air-borne firebreather. Teeth like razors, claws like meathooks. Extremely fond of precious metals.

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo said put out by Bofur's assuming he did not.

"I've seen dragons before," Pearl said quietly to Bilbo, "I don't like them."  
"Shh," he said hushing her before the others heard.  
"I'm not afraid," Ori said jumping out of his seat. "I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of dwarfish iron right up his jacksie," the young dwarf said trying to look brave.

"Sit down," Dori said pulling his brother back to his chair and many of the others grumbled their disagreements.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us but we numbered just thirteen," Balin said, one of the few to have sense. "Not thirteen of the best nor brightest."  
At that the dwarves began grumbling once more, offended at being called stupid. "We may be few in number," Fili said calling their attention to him, "but we are fighters. All of us, to the last dwarf."  
"And you forget we have a wizard in our Company, Gandalf would have killed hundreds of dragons in his time," Kili said, not one to be left out.

"Well I," Gandalf said.  
"How many then?" Dori asked. "How many dragon's have you killed?"  
Suddenly the whole company exploded again, talking over one another and banging fists on the table.

"Enough!" Thorin roared as he rose to his feet.  
Pearl stood behind Bilbo, not listening to all Thorin was saying as his voice roared in her eyes; not used to such loud noises, almost cringing at the loud yells from the dwarves.

"You forget the front gate is sealed," Balin said raising his voice over the others. "There is no way inside the mountain."

The other dwarves seemed to deflate at these words, exchanging hopeless looks and muttering solemnly to one another.

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf said.

Pearl continued to stand behind Bilbo, Thorin's voice still ringing in her ears. When she turned to the graying old man she saw he was holding a key.

"How came you by this?" Thorin asked in awe.

"It was given to me by your father, Thrain, for safe keeping. And now I pass it on to you," Gandalf said.

Thorin gave the wizard a look of wonder and curiosity, obviously wishing to hear more about how the key had come into his possession. But he withheld his questions and tucked the key into his pocket.

"If there's a key then there must be a door," Fili said.  
"There's another way in," Kili said realizing what it meant.

"But Dwarf doors are invisible when sealed!" Another piped in.

"Yes," Gandalf interjected. "This is why the task we are required to do involves a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!"

"And a good one too. An expert I would imagine," Bilbo said and Pearl's brows furrowed at him; her having realized the burglar in question was him.

"And are you?" Bofur asked clearly thinking Bilbo was talking about himself.

"Am I what?" Bilbo asked not understanding.

"He said he's an expert!" Oin said laughing.

"Me? No, I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life," Bilbo stuttered.

"I must agree with Mr Baggins, he's hardly burglar material." Balin mused.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves," Dwalin said in agreement.

"If I say he is a burglar, than a burglar he shall be!" Gandalf said coming to stand, seeming to steal all light from the room. The light returned to the room and silence settled over them all. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet, in fact they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the small of dwarf the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage."  
Bilbo opened his mouth to refuse, having no thoughts of joining the quest with all the talk of the dragon.

"You did not tell me he was a wizard," Pearl said from behind Bilbo. He turned to her, his heart racing at the thought of such danger, seeing her wide eyes. He did not understand what had frightened her so, too afraid himself to do anything more than turn back to the others. But Pearl knew very well why Gandalf's being a wizard was bad, at least on Bilbo's word that no one should know what she was; for Gandalf, being a wizard, had known she was a mermaid the moment he laid eyes on her.


	5. In the morning I'll make you breakfast

Pearl met Gandalf's eyes, seeing the amusement in them, and she wondered if it was truly a bad thing if he knew what she was for he looked kind.

"Give him the contract," Thorin's deep voice ordered.

"It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements and so forth," Balin said retrieving the contract from his coat pocket.

Bilbo took a surprised step back when Thorin slammed the contract into his chest, nearly stepping on Pearl. "Funeral arrangements?" he questioned uncertainly, the desire for adventure nearly leaving him then. Bilbo opened the contract and it unfolded several times before he could see all of it, the script was very lovely if he were honest.

"Up to but not exceeding one-fourteenth total profit if any," Bilbo read and hummed thinking it was reasonable. Pearl peeked over Bilbo's shoulders staring at the contract, wondering where the words he was saying were coming from.

"Not limited to lacerations," Bilbo said sounding out the word, it being a bit smudged. "Evisceration?" He opened a side note and read the word clearly; "Incineration?" he questioned unhappily turning to the others out of shock.  
"That's bad?" Pearl asked.

"Yes," Bilbo said without turning to her. Thorin stared at the woman knowing something was wrong about her.

"Aye little lady, it'll melt the flesh of your bones in the blink of an eye," Bofur said with a small smirk.

Bilbo felt the breath leave him and his head started to spin.

"You alright laddie?" Balin asked seeing the hobbit was a bit green.

"I feel a bit faint," he answered. He released the contract when he felt Pearl take it, and she stared at the funny little pictures wondering where the words came from.  
"Think furnace with wings," Bofur said and Pearl wondered if the dwarf was trying to upset Bilbo.  
"Air, I need air," Bilbo said, his stomach heaving a bit as the world spun. By then they were all staring at him, even Pearl though she was taking peeks at the contract as well.  
"Flash of light, searing pain, then poof you're nothing more than a pile of ash," Bofur finished pleasantly.

Bilbo took a couple of breaths trying to calm himself, it almost working if not for the images rolling around in his mind. "Nope," he said before the world darkened and he fell.  
Pearl's eyes widened as she stood over Bilbo, cradling the contract to her chest as she stared down at him. "I don't think that helped," she said looking up at Bofur.

Nearly all of the dwarves' heads tilted to the side at Pearl, her state of mind the topic of question in each of their minds.  
"Gandalf who is she?" Thorin asked not thinking she was the hobbit's wife as he had said.

"Someone very special, I will have to see her to her home," Gandalf mused as he appraised Pearl.

"I don't want to go home," she said upon hearing his words, wanting to stay with Bilbo even though he was sleeping.

"I am afraid you must," Gandalf said standing and walking to her, hunching so as not to hit his head on anything. "Fili, Kili, carry him to a chair."  
Pearl stared up him, being smaller than many of the dwarves who Gandalf's tall frame already towered over.

"Who is she Gandalf?" Thorin asked losing his patience.

"I thought she was Bilbo's wife," Ori said.  
"I don't believe he was being honest," Dori said looking at the small woman. Other than her feet she looked a hobbit, though her voice had a strange lilt to it as though she spoke another language. She was far more beautiful than any other hobbit as well.

"What was it Bilbo called you?" Gandalf asked having forgotten as he wondered her origins.  
"Pearl," she answered quietly.

"This is Pearl, Thorin Oakenshield."  
"Yes, I know her name," Thorin said shortly, "but _who_ is she?"  
"I think what you mean to say is what is she," Gandalf said bending a little to look closer at her, her neck arched so that she could see his face. "Why did you come here?"

"The lights," Pearl answered. She turned away from him as she thought. "Bilbo called them something. Fireworks," she said when she remembered.

Gandalf hummed in thought, realizing it had been his creation that had brought her to land. "If I were to promise she would be no responsibility of yours would you allow her to accompany us?" Gandalf asked turning to Thorin.  
Thorin tore his eyes from the woman's face to look up at Gandalf appalled. "Absolutely not, she is daft."

Pearl's brows furrowed not knowing what that meant, though from his tone she knew it to be an insult.

"And she is much too young for the wild she would certainly get herself killed," Thorin said refusing, not seeing the angry look on Pearl's face at understanding what he had said.

"Do not mistake innocence for stupidity and youth," Gandalf said chastely. "She is older than you, and though she does not seem it she may know more on some matters."  
Thorin snorted looking over his shoulder at her, seeing she was now looking at where Bilbo was placed. "You never answered my question," he said.

"And you never answered mine," Gandalf responded.

"I cannot guarantee their safety," Thorin said lowly.  
"Understood," said Gandalf having already guessed this.  
"Nor will I be responsible for their fate."  
Gandalf nodded before looking to Pearl, seeing she was listening to something Fili and Kili were telling her. "You may come across some who would do her harm," Gandalf warned, not wanting Thorin to be mislead in this. "And there are some who may wish to keep her. It would be best should you not know what she is, you may find her to be a most unexpected treasure." Gandalf could see Thorin did not like this, he could see it in the way the dwarf's eyes moved to her in wondering.

"I will know what she is," he said gruffly.  
Gandalf sighed before answering; "Bilbo found her, it is his task to tell you not mine."

Pearl spent the rest of the night, even after Bilbo had woken again, listening to a few of the dwarves' stories. She did not always understand what they said but she enjoyed watching them together, laughing and hitting each other playfully; they reminded her of dolphins. A few of the dwarves, namely the oldest, watched her untrusting; though her innocence had already proven too much for Balin and he was happily telling her of the many things he had seen in his day. The sun was just barely starting to rise when she felt tired, Bilbo having been right in thinking she mostly slept during the day.  
"You will coming with me," Gandalf said kindly as he stood over where she sat.

"Is Bilbo coming too?" she asked but the wizard shook his head. "But I don't want to leave him," she said stubbornly, Gandalf seeing she had taken an extreme liking to the hobbit.  
"I am afraid you cannot stay, you should never have come on land."  
"I did not mean to," she said quietly. "I've never had legs before."  
Gandalf sighed realizing this was all new to her, realizing there was much still for her to learn; not knowing if she would live to be returned to her home. "You cannot stay, this has never been your world." He saw the sadness in her eyes as she left the hobbit-hole, knowing she did not want to leave Bilbo behind.

Thorin had heard her strange voice, its accent and rhythm different from any other he had heard; he might have thought her an elf if not for her small size and rounded ears. She was beautiful, not even he could deny that, but he could see she was ignorant to many things and that may mean her death; and though Gandalf had said she would be not his responsibility Thorin knew she would be, as the leader of the quest all in his Company were and that now included her.


	6. In the evening I'll warm the bed

"Your ponies are here, just as was arranged," the stable manager said before leading the dwarves towards where their thirteen ponies were saddled and ready to leave.

"Thank you," Thorin said, "but we are need of one more."  
"Two more if you count Bilbo," Gandalf said, and he was not the only one in the Company who thought Bilbo just might turn up.  
"One was already paid for," Thorin admitted though looking unhappy, "and it will come out of your pocket if he does not come to use it." He turned back to the stableman and bought another pony for the strange woman the wizard insisted on bringing.

"Follow me," the man said to Pearl, offering his hand as he led her towards where the ponies were. "There are a few mares you might find suitable, and a few males too. You can choose whichever you like," he said smiling down at her, completely enchanted by her beauty.

Gandalf turned towards Thorin as the dwarf stepped closer to him. "Where is her home exactly, is it near Erebor?"

"Not really no," Gandalf admitted, looking up occasionally to see Pearl moving through the many ponies and horses.

"Where is it then?" Thorin asked, having no patience any longer on answers about the woman who was being forced upon him.  
Gandalf sighed before looking down at him. "Anywhere really," he admitted.

Thorin stared up at the wizard confused, not liking how little he knew about Pearl. "Then why can you not send her off now?"  
"Who's to say she returns home, she may very well come back. What reason has she not to, she has yet to see the dangers of the world."  
"You are scaring her into going home so that she would never leave again," Thorin mused, seeing Gandalf's small smile that showed he was correct. "How long do you believe that will take?"  
"I honestly cannot say," Gandalf informed Thorin. "But she is a good spirit and a very loyal friend, if you would let her be." Gandalf turned his eyes back to Pearl to see she had chosen her pony though the stableman looked very concerned.  
"He is very ill-tempered," the man said not standing near the black pony. "He bites and bucks, there are other more suitable ones."

"What is his name?" Pearl asked stepping closer, the pony straining against the ropes that were tied around him as he tried to moved near Pearl. Many of the dwarves stared warily at the pony, Pearl being a very small woman and his hooves being very large.

"Eomorn, it means black horse," the stableman said before nodding to a hobbit to get a saddle and reins. "Now you are sure this is the one you want?" he asked again, having received many complaints about the pony's behavior.

"I am sure," Pearl said again, stepping even closer. The pony brought its head closer to her and they all waited for her cry of pain from his bite though it never came. "See," Pearl said happily, "he will make a fine companion." The pony whinnied as it nudged her again, the ropes being released after he was saddled.

Thorin grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the pony. "That is the one you want?" he asked irritably, wishing she had chosen an easier pony.  
"Yes," she said pulling her arm away.  
Thorin saw over her shoulder the pony turn its head and bite the stableman who had come too close and sighed before shaking his head in irritation. "Fine," he grumbled before mounting his own pony.

Pearl watched the way Thorin had moved, the fluid way in which he got on his steed, and mimicking as best she could she did exactly as Thorin had done and managed to get in the saddle. Gandalf chuckled slightly, having seen Thorin watch Pearl out of the corner of his eye as she mimicked him, and righted her dress over her legs before mounting his horse.

"Do you think Bilbo will come?" Ori asked Gandalf a short after they had collected their ponies.

"I very much doubt that," said Gloin.

"He very well may," said his brother Oin causing Gloin to snort.

"Do not doubt the heart of a hobbit, or the spirit of a Took," Gandalf mused as he rode next to Pearl.  
"So he is coming then," she said hopefully.  
"I believe he might," he said smiling down at her.

"Would you care to make a wager?" Gloin asked the wizard.

…

The world was bright and all was quiet when Bilbo woke; it was the quiet that startled Bilbo awake. He tiptoed through his home searching for a sign of the dwarves, seeing his house was as clean as before they had arrived. "Hello?" he called after not finding anyone, rejoicing at them being gone and with them their nasty adventure. Though he was not yet ready to admit he had just barely refused, almost wanting to join them.

"Pearl, where are you? We can harvest the vegetables now," he called going to the room he had told her would be hers, promising her the day previous that they would harvest on that day. "Pearl?" he said quietly seeing she was not there. He rushed through his home a second time searching for her before remembering Gandalf's talk about her needing to be home, wondering if she was already swimming away in the river. He stopped at the front hall and realized he was completely alone, a thought that saddened him. He noticed the contract Balin had given him laid out on the front table and he felt the same lightening of his heart as he had the night before when thinking of adventure, realizing it to be excitement.

In all his rushing he managed to pack a bag of few clothes and what little food he had left, as well as put on his coat; though there were many things he had forgotten. And off he ran, the contract in his hand, towards an adventure.

…

It was not long after they had made their bet that they heard a small cry of; "wait!" They all turned and watched as the hobbit ran breathlessly towards them. "I signed it," he said between breaths holding up his contract. He handed it to Balin and waited as the older dwarf looked it over.

"All seems to be in order," Balin said with a small smile.  
"Fine, get him a pony," Thorin said gruffly before turning away.

Bilbo released a breath, having thought Thorin would refuse, but then he realized what had been said. "No, no I'm okay to walk," he said having never ridden a pony. A startled noise sounded in the back of his throat when two hands grabbed him and set him in a saddle. He sat uncomfortably, waiting for the pony to buck him off or turn around and bite him, though it did neither. They moved at a comfortable pace, Bilbo overjoyed at finding Pearl was with them just as she was to see he had come, finding out a bet had been placed on whether he would join them.

"Wait! Stop, stop we have to turn around," Bilbo called and they all came to stop.

Ori stared at the pony Pearl had chosen, having been riding beside her, and did not like the way it looked at his own steed. He took note that Pearl barely seemed to do anything with the reigns besides hold them, the pony seeming to do as she expected.

"I forgot my handkerchief," Bilbo explained.  
"Is that important?" Pearl asked not knowing what a handkerchief was.  
"Yes," Bilbo said just as all the others said "No." Pearl looked to Gandalf and he gave her small smile as he shook his head to tell her it wasn't.

"Here," Bofur called pulling at the end of jacket and tearing a piece off throwing it to Bilbo, "use this."  
Bilbo caught it and stared at it with disgust making the others laugh.

"Move on," Thorin ordered, finding very little amusement in the hobbit and more than enough annoyance. And so the others followed behind, and for the first time Bilbo left the safety of the Shire.


	7. I'll always be happy to kiss you

_Kaia: thank you so much for reviewing, I'm glad you liked which pony she chose. And you're right, it certainly will make her want to stay longer. _

_Ali: Thank you, I'm glad you like her. _

* * *

They traveled long and far, passing through Bree without stopping and soon found themselves traveling without seeing another person. The further they went the more the roads grew worse, hills rose higher and higher to which they had to descend on steep rocky cliff edges.

"Should the weather turn sour they will find out what she is. It would be better they know sooner rather than later," Gandalf told Bilbo quietly.

"Do you think they would be kind to her, when I tell them?" he asked, having seen the dark way they spoke of elves who he always thought were grand.

"They will understand the need to keep her safe, to keep her hidden from certain eyes," Gandalf said and Bilbo thought there might have been a warning beneath his words. They both looked to Pearl to find her riding beside Dwalin, hearing his deep voice explaining the drawings on his skin; his brother Balin riding behind them smiling at Dwalin's growing fondness for the woman.

"Did you draw them yourself?" she asked inspecting his hand.  
"No, I couldn't do the ones on my head now could I?" he asked.  
"You could have looked in one of those," she trailed off thinking of the word. "The thing you see yourself in."  
"A mirror?" Dwalin asked smiling.

"Oh," she said with a small smile, "yes that."

"You're going to drink all your water again," Dwalin told her as she took another large gulp from her water pouch. The day before she had drunk all of hers and two other's, to which Thorin had begrudgingly put her on a ration.  
"I am thirsty," she said guiltily. Bilbo had been afraid when she had first taken a drink, thinking surely her fin would come back, though it did not. _It must have to touch her skin_, Bilbo had thought.

"Many of us are," Dwalin said taking the water pouch from her.  
They continued the rest of the day, it having been after lunch, and they continued until supper; which had come much later than Bilbo had desired. Dwalin moved to help Pearl off her pony, seeing she was swaying slightly. The pony snorted at Dwalin in warning when he had stepped too close and he led Pearl to where she wearily sat. Dwalin returned Pearl her water pouch which she finished within a minute, breathing heavily after she had drunk it all.

"Gandalf?" Dwalin called wondering what was the matter with Pearl.

"She needs a great amount of water to survive, she is dehydrated," Gandalf said offering her his own water pouch. "Go on," he said gently after she refused.

"There is not always water where we are going, how will she last?" Thorin asked gruffly. "She will kill us all if she continues to drink as much as she does."  
"And you will kill her if you only allow her to drink as much as she has been," Gandalf answered looking sternly down at the dwarf.

"Perhaps I would be more tolerant if I knew what she was," Thorin grumbled as he had been doing the past few days. He seemed to be the only one left in the Company who was not charmed by Pearl, thinking her more of a nuisance for all her naiveté.

Gandalf turned to Bilbo and nodded, and Bilbo sighed realizing they would have to know some time. "She is a mermaid," he said quietly, greatly wishing they did not have to know.

"Well now you're just lying," Gloin said and many others agreed, though most of them stole glances at Pearl to see she had finished Gandalf's water as well and was looking up at Bilbo.

"Mermaids are stories for children, and they are part fish. Pearl has legs does she not?" Bofur said.  
"Whores aren't maidens," Oin said causing them all to stare at him in confusion.  
"He said mermaids," Gloin yelled in his brother's ear.  
"Oh, they aren't real," said Oin causing Gloin to groan.

"Fine," huffed Bilbo at being called a liar, "she isn't a mermaid I made that up. Maybe I don't know what she is, or maybe she's just a regular person," he said before plopping himself down by Pearl.

The dwarves continued to laugh and poke fun at the hobbit, never once asking Pearl if it were true; though Thorin stared hard at Pearl wondering for she did seem new to life and she was unparallely beautiful in her strange way. Though it came time to rest and he turned away from her casting all thoughts of her aside as he slept.

A loud screech sounded in the night, a sound only Bilbo did not know from whom it came; Pearl had spent many years traveling the rivers of Middle Earth, watching those on land, and had often seen the creatures from beneath the water.  
"What was that?" Bilbo asked timidly.  
"Orcs," Fili answered, seeing the fear plain on the hobbit's face. "There will be dozens of them out there."

"They come at night," Kili said. "Attack while people are sleeping. There are no screams. Just lots of blood."

Bilbo looked out into the darkness afraid, seeing Pearl was as unhappy as he, hearing the soft laughter of the brothers at his side.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin's deep voice demanded suddenly, immediately chastising his nephews.

"We didn't mean anything by it," Kili said ashamed.

"No, of course not," Thorin muttered and turned his back on them as he stalked to the edge of the cliff. "You know nothing of the world."

"Do not take it to heart, laddies," said Balin comfortingly. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."  
And so Balin told them the tale of a dreadful battle to reclaim the dwarven kingdom of Moria and the beheading of King Thror by the pale orc, Azog. The story culminated in Thorin's defeat of the orc, and the ultimate victory for the dwarves, though many had died in the effort.  
"And I thought to myself," Balin said, all attention on him as he spoke, "there is one whom I could follow. There is one whom I could call King."

All the dwarves had roused from their sleep to listen to the tale, and all looked upon their leader with awe; even Pearl was affected, having seen many warriors from beneath the surface of rivers. Thorin, for his part, turned to face the company without any indication that he had heard what was being said about him. He walked passed the others without acknowledging their looks of wonderment.

"And what of the pale orc? What became of him?" Bilbo asked.

"He slunk back into the shadows," Thorin answered. "He died of his wounds long ago."

Balin took note of the queer look in Gandalf eyes, though the wizard was a hard man to read and Balin found no answer. Sleep was not an easy thing to find that night, a sparse few more orc cries sounding in the night.

The next day they woke and Thorin had them fill their water pouches, and they carried extra water on Gandalf's word that Pearl needed it; and when it came time to stop for the night they noticed, most of the pouches completely empty, that she did look better. They came to rest at an old farm that had decayed many years previous.

"I think it would be wiser to move on, we could make to the hidden valley," Gandalf suggested, knowing they were in need of aid.

"I told you already, I will not go near that place," Thorin said, disgust sounding in his voice.

The others stood a ways back as they waited, hearing only slight raising in either of their voice but not enough to understand the words. Bilbo stood rubbing his pony's nose, watching as Pearl's pony rubbed its head against her happily; though it would often turn to whatever came too close and either snort or bite them.  
"Is everything alright?" Bilbo asked seeing Gandalf's angry face. "Gandalf where are you going?" asked Bilbo once he saw the wizard was leaving.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who has any sense," Gandalf said crossly without stopping.  
"And who's that?" Bilbo asked greatly not wanting the wizard to leave.

"Myself, Mr Baggins," Gandalf yelled as he stalked past the last dwarf. "I've had enough dwarves for one day," he muttered to himself.

They watched him go, seeing there was little to be done.

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry," Thorin ordered.

"Is he coming back?" Bilbo asked Balin worriedly, to which Balin could only shrug. It seemed as though Bilbo and Pearl were the most upset at his departure; Bilbo having come to know Gandalf was more resourceful than the dwarves and Pearl being the only one to actually know what the wizard was capable of.

"Fili, Kili, look after the ponies," Thorin ordered, bestowing the mundane task to his nephews. Bilbo sat beside Pearl as they ate, seeing she had come to learn much from when he had found by the river; though there was still a great deal more she needed to learn, things he himself was still learning.


	8. Promise I'll never get sad

_Kaia: I know, Gandalf should have thought about that. But she does come up with something. Thank you for reviewing. _

* * *

Pearl sat beside Bilbo listening to the dwarves chattering around her, their laughter loud in the quiet of the wild around them. She had never been out of water, there being the speaking of fish beneath the surface and other stranger noises above. She had been told more than once, by more than one of the dwarves, that she was too gentle for the wild, that she was too innocent for it. And though she was new to life on land she knew well enough that the absent of animal noises was a sign to hide; there had been chirps and growling and the sounds of things moving the night before, but there was only silence now.

She took her eyes from the dark in the trees and watched as Bofur, Nori, and Ori played their flutes, their music cheerful as a few others sang.

"Do you know how to dance?" Bofur asked Pearl, taking the flute from his mouth.

"Dance?" Pearl asked trying to think of what that meant.

"Here, I'll show you," he said before grabbing Dori. "You be the woman," he told Dori with a cheeky grin. Pearl watched as Bofur held one of Dori's hands while his other was around Dori's back; and then she watched as Bofur led him around in a circle, their feet almost never seeming to touch the ground. "Think you're ready?" Bofur asked holding his hand out for her.

Pearl stared up at him a moment before taking his hand and let him lead her in the same way he did Dori.

"You're a mighty fast learner," Bofur told her as she danced with what seemed like ease, copying the movements she had seen.  
Soon after Dori pulled Pearl away and she danced with him, Bofur joining Nori and Ori and playing the flute again. She was stolen away by Oin and then Gloin before she grew too tired to dance any longer.

Bilbo had noticed Thorin's stern gaze as his eyes followed her every turn, catching all her smiles and hearing her laughter. Bofur was right, she was quick to catch on; she was intelligent. Thorin remembered what Bilbo had said she was, a creature of myth that no one had ever seen – at least no stories that had been believed. Thorin shook himself of thoughts of mermaids; "Halfling," he called, "take food to Fili and Kili."

"Yes, alright," Bilbo agreed, not liking the way he was being treated. Bilbo took the two bowls Bombur offered before facing the line of trees where Fili and Kili had let the ponies graze. "Would you like to come?" he asked Pearl, not wanting to go alone.

"Of course," Pearl answered and Bilbo sighed relieved, though he should not have worried for she stuck as close to his side as he stuck to hers. They walked together, Pearl holding the hem of her dress higher as she walked and Bilbo carrying the two bowls. They moved towards the silhouettes of the two brothers and stood between them, neither Fili nor Kili looking anywhere but straight ahead.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked seeing clearly something was wrong.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies," Kili said upset.  
"Only we've encountered a slight problem," Fili finished.

"We had sixteen," Kili said.  
"Now there's fourteen," finished Fili again. And sure enough upon looking to where the ponies were there were only fourteen.  
"Daisy and Eomund are missing," Kili said walking quickly around the ponies with Bilbo.

"That's not good," Bilbo said still holding the bowls as he walked to where Pearl stood with Fili. "And that," Bilbo said motioning to the upturned tree, "is not good at all."  
"Eomund's gone," Pearl said worriedly, him having been her pony.

"That's too bad," mumbled Fili.

Pearl's brows knitted together as she looked from Fili to Bilbo. "Sarcasm?" she asked and he nodded.  
"Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" Bilbo asked.

"Eh, no lets not worry him," Fili said quickly. "As our official burglar we thought maybe you might like to look into it."

Pearl's eyes narrowed as she looked at the brothers, seeing they wanted Bilbo to get them out of the trouble they were in. "It looks like something big uprooted these trees," Bilbo answered, Pearl knowing he wanted the dwarves to see him as one of them. "Something very big and possibly quite dangerous," Bilbo said growing worried.

The snap of a twig caught Fili's attention and he turned toward the noise. "Hey, there's a light. Over here," Fili motioned for the two and his brother to follow as he led to where he had seen it.

"Stay down," Kili said pulling Pearl lower. They stood behind an overturned tree and looked to where Fili had pointed.  
"What is it?" Bilbo asked hearing something rustling the trees and laughing, the only one not knowing what made the sounds.  
"Trolls," Kili said darkly, looking very much like his uncle, and both brothers jumped over the trunk and ran towards the sound.

Pearl crawled over the tree, Bilbo helping her, and they both ran after the two. Pearl looked back to see Bilbo had grabbed Fili and Kili's food and she shook her head as she continued forward. Pearl and Bilbo hid behind a tree opposite Fili and Kili and watched as the troll walked away with two more ponies. "He's got Myrtle and Minty," Bilbo said upset, Myrtle being his pony. "I think they're going to eat them we have to do something," Bilbo said making Pearl afraid for her own pony.

"Yes, you should," Kili said and Pearl found herself, for the first time, wanting to hit him. "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid and you're so small they'll never see you."  
"No, no, no," Bilbo said refusing.  
"It's perfectly safe, we'll be right behind you," Kili insisted, seeing Bilbo as a way out of the mess he and Fili had gotten themselves in.

"If you run into trouble," Fili said taking the bowls of food from Bilbo, "hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl."  
Kili held Pearl's arm as she tried to follow Bilbo, and she listened as he tried to repeat the directions Fili had given him. When Bilbo looked back Kili had already clapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her out of sight.

"You can't honestly believe he will be alright?" she demanded angrily once Kili had released her.

"He is our burglar," Fili said trying to appease the angry woman.  
"And this is your mess," she said pointing her finger at him. "What if he gets hurt? What if they eat him too? I don't think Thorin would be as forgiving," she said surprising the two with her reason; not sounding as innocent as she had been.

"She's right," Kili said realizing they would have to tell Thorin and sighing at the thought. "Go get him, I'll make sure she doesn't go after Bilbo." Pearl looked at Kili offended and he smirked at her as Fili left. It wasn't long before the others came, Thorin looking as angry as Fili and Kili knew he would.

"Kili you will go first, the rest of us will follow behind. We'll take them by surprise with our numbers," Thorin said taking charge as was expected as the leader. "You stay here," he said pointing to Pearl.  
"What if you need help?" she asked put out by his order.  
He snorted before turning to her. "What help could you have to offer?" he said cruelly making her shrink back from him.

Pearl stood back as all of the dwarves charged forward, hearing their yells and grunts as well as roars of pain from the trolls. It was not long before she heard the dwarves yelling to be released and she sighed when she realized they had been captured, wondering if she should listen to what Thorin had told her. She had seen many trolls from beneath the water, big nasty looking creatures with feet bigger than she was, and she did not like them in the slightest; but she did like Bilbo and a few many of the dwarves. And so it was settled, she cautiously stepped forward seeing the widening of eyes from those who saw her. They shook their head at her trying to tell her to go back, but one of the trolls caught sight of her and nudged the others.

"And who's this?" one asked staring down at her.

"A little lady?" said another quite pleased.  
"She's no dwarf, maybe she's like the other," said the third.

"I'm neither," she said coming to stand below the first troll.  
"Pearl, don't," Bilbo warned, confined in a disgusting smelling sack he did not want to know what had been in before him.

"Then what is ya," the first one asked glowering at her.

"I'm a mermaid," she said pleasantly and the dwarves groaned, some in sacks and other tied to a stick to put over the fire.

"You ain't a mermaid, you got legs," the second said.

"I got them when I dried off," she admitted and watched as the trolls looked at each other confused.  
"I had a mermaid once," the first troll said, "she was too salty for me. I couldn't finish her she tasted so bad."  
"So we're not eating her?" the third troll said sadly.  
"No, gave me a belly ache. They do sound nice though, maybe we's keep her like a pet," the first said making Pearl smile slightly; she had met a troll one night a long while ago who had refused to eat her since she tasted like the sea, throwing her back in the water so hard she had nearly hit her head. "Sing us a song," he demanded.

And so she was left not knowing what to do, and looking to the dwarves she knew they didn't either. She moved to sit on a rock beside where Bilbo was, seeing his fearful face as he looked up at her.

_When the time comes,  
on the last day  
when they start to come down,  
will you just,  
will you run away?_

_Let it all rain down,_  
_from the blood stained clouds._  
_Come out to the sea my love_  
_and just,_  
_drown with me._

Pearl looked over at Bilbo hoping he had a plan, her having tried to buy time for him to figure one out to see him blinking happily at her. She looked at the others in shock to see they were looking almost as drunk as he, the trolls too; she had forgotten that mermaid songs entranced all who heard, casting them into a dream.

Thorin wanted to drown with her, seeing in his mind himself beneath the waves and Pearl with a fin as she swam around him singing. He did not care what he did or what happened so long as she was with him. The world seemed to rush back to him, slapping him in the face, and he shook himself of those thoughts as he remembered their current predicament. It seemed all of the dwarves, and Bilbo, had found themselves thinking the same as Thorin, feeling as though they could never spend another day without her. But as the song faded from their ears they quickly lost their dream and it was nothing more than a distant memory.

"I told ya," the first troll said with a laugh. "A mighty fine voice, I said. Put those over the fire," he said to the second who lifted the dwarves that were tied like kabobs. "You's can sit right there, we'll give some nice cooked dwarf for your song."

Pearl looked to Bilbo not having any other idea to see he was straining to think of something. The trolls bickered over how to cook the dwarves when Bilbo finally came up with a plan. Pearl sat listening completely confused as Bilbo told the trolls of the dwarves being infested with worms in their tubes – she did not know why they had worms in them or what their tubes were. Though she could see Bilbo had some sort of plan for the trolls were now disgusted at the thought of eating them.

"What would you have us do then, let 'em all go?" the biggest troll said angrily, having caught on to Bilbo's plan. "You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools."  
Pearl heard a rustling in the trees above them and she looked to see Gandalf running up the rock. "Dawn will take you all," his great voice said capturing all of their attention. Pearl watched amazed as he brought his staff down and split the rock in two, the trolls turning to stone as the sunlight touched them.

The dwarves laughed happily at being saved, unspeakably grateful to the wizard. Pearl untied Bilbo from his stack, her nose turning up at the horrid stench of it. "Are you alright?" she asked looking him over.

Bilbo looked at her before smiling. "Of course I am," he said gladly. They stooped low to pick up Fili, who was on his stomach, and began untying him as well. And then they moved on to the next dwarf and the one after that before all the dwarves on the ground were loose and those who had been untied helped those over the fire; and before long they were all freed.

* * *

_The song I used is In the Shallows by Daughter. I was listening to it today and that part of the song gave me the idea.  
_


	9. til the siren come calling, calling

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" Thorin asked Gandalf once he had been released from his sack.

"To look ahead," Gandalf answered honestly without admitting the full truth.

"What brought you back?" Thorin asked, not admitting how grateful he was to Gandalf's arrival.  
Though Gandalf could hear it in the dwarf's voice and so he answered; "looking behind," making Thorin smile. "Nasty business," Gandalf said looking at one of the trolls. "Still you're all in one piece."  
"No thanks to your burglar," Thorin told him, proving he had been right in that the hobbit had no help to offer.

"He had the notion to play for time," Gandalf corrected. "None of the rest of you thought of that."  
Thorin was left chastised as Gandalf turned his attention away when a thought he had nearly forgotten came to him. "Gandalf," he called causing the wizard to turn back to him. "Is she really?" he asked trailing off not able to admit something as unbelievable as mermaids.

Gandalf smiled in understanding. "There are some things of this earth you simply need to bare witness to," he told him before turning back to the troll, thoughts churning in his mind.

"I wish they'd have eaten you," Dwalin grumbled as he cradled the arm Eomorn had nipped. The black pony who only liked his rider seemed to glare at the dwarf as he walked past toward Pearl. The pony whinnied happily as she kissed his nose, rubbing his black head against her. For many of the dwarves the memory of her song had already left them, though there were a small few, Bilbo included, who remembered the dream they'd had as she sang; they could not, however, remember the strange beauty of her voice.

"There must be a cave nearby," Thorin's deep voice said calling the attention of those nearest. They followed after Thorin in search of the cave, almost finding it from the smell alone. "Are you coming?" Thorin asked Pearl upon seeing the reluctance on her face. She looked further into the tunnel leading to the cave before looking back at him and shaking her head. He was reminded briefly of the mermaid he had dreamed her to be, a shy cautious creature who should never have ventured on land.

Pearl watched the rest of the dwarves go deeper into the cave, a horrid stench traveling up through it to meet their noses. "What do you think is down there?" Bilbo asked having not wanted to go in either.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Perhaps bones, maybe the things the people they ate had."  
Bilbo shivered at the thought before looking back at the ponies to make sure they were all still there; and sure enough they were, munching happily on the grass. They both turned at the sound of the dwarves leaving the cave, seeing in their arms a few things they had found.

"Here you go, Pearl," Bofur said tossing her a coin.

"What is it?" she asked staring down at the strange flat circle with drawings on it.  
"That is gold," Gloin told her. "There's lot of that in the Mountain."  
Thorin watched her closely seeing her turn the coin her hand as she looked at it; realizing she had never seen gold before. "Here," he said holding out a sword that was appropriate for her small size.

Pearl took one look at the sword before shaking her head. "I don't like those."

Thorin's brow raised at her words. "You know what a sword is?" he asked unbelieving.

"Yes," she said slightly offended by his tone, "and I know that they hurt."

He took note of the seriousness in her eye, wondering when she had first seen a sword and to what extent she had been wounded. "We will come across many dangers and you will need a means of defending yourself," he said as he roughly tied a belt around her slender waist, it looking much too dark and savage against the lace on her dress. "You won't always have someone there to protect you," he warned gently, watched as she eyed the sword with mistrust.

"You are sure I will need this?" she asked looking at him uncertain to which he nodded. "Alright," she sighed in agreement. and his eyes took in the slight pout of her lips. He quickly shook himself before walking away from her, thinking her song was still affecting him.

Pearl continued to eye the sword on the belt, remembered very clearly how they stung. She looked up warily at the sound of something rustling in the trees, moving very fast.  
"Something's coming," Thorin called in warning and they all looked up hearing it too.  
"Stay together," Gandalf ordered. "Arm yourselves."

Pearl felt Fili grab her arm as he pulled her after him, turning back to look for Bilbo who she could not see. They ran through a patch a trees before they came to a hill too steep to climb, forcing them to turn back to the oncoming foe and wait. Fili kept himself in front of Pearl and she watched over his shoulder as a man on a sled ran through the trees and stopped in front of them yelling; "Theives! Fire! Murder!"

Gandalf sighed irritably at their fear having been for nothing. "Radagast," he said exasperated.

Pearl stared at the strange looking man, noticing an odd look in his eye as well as the bird excrement dried on the side of his head. She wondered what he had been talking about, having only known what one of the three words he had yelled at them meant.

"Radagast the Brown, what on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf said moving to stand beside him.

"I was looking for you Gandalf. Something's wrong, something's terribly terribly wrong," Radagast answered. Pearl stared up at him wondering what it was he was referring to, having swum near rivers years ago that had felt as though evil dwelt near.

"Yes?" Gandalf questioned, having been waiting for Radagast to explain though he did not.

Pearl watched baffled as the brown wizard opened his mouth to speak only to close it once more when he seemed to forget. "Just give me a minute," he said before thinking hard again. "Oh, I had a thought and now I've lost it," the brown wizard said looking very lost. "It was right there on the tip of my tongue."  
She met Bilbo's eyes and he shrugged, not understanding the man anymore than she did. "Gandalf?" Radagast questioned, seeming to have lost all train of thought as his eyes found the woman. "I may be wrong but I think that's a mermaid," he said bringing everyone's attention to him; that being the second time Pearl was called a mermaid.

"You are right, Radagast, she very much is," Gandalf answered wanting very much to know what the brown wizard did. Many of the dwarves, namely the ones who still were not convinced Bilbo had been honest in his telling of what Pearl was, were left astounded by Gandalf's admittance.

"I have something for you," he said excitedly before reaching into his hat.

All of dwarves watched, Thorin placing his hand on the hilt of his new sword, seeing Pearl nearly hiding behind Fili as she stared at Radagast disconcertingly.

"Give me your finger," he said happily holding his hand out for her. She looked first to Thorin and then to Gandalf, seeing Gandalf's slight nod of annoyance, before she inched forward. Thorin could not see what the wizard was giving her but he saw her face morph into one of surprised glee.  
Pearl stared at the small animal on her finger, seeing it hop as it looked up at her. Radagast smiled as he watched Pearl before Gandalf, losing all patience, called his attention back to the present matter. "The Greenwood is sick, Gandalf," Radagast said having found his thought as they moved a distance from the others.  
Pearl looked to Bilbo, who was staring at her amusedly; "Look Bilbo," she said holding out her hand to show him. "It's a, uhm, the thing that swims in the sky," she said much to Bilbo's and Fili's befuddlement for she did not know the name of the animal she was holding.  
"Flies," Bilbo corrected.  
Pearl's brows knitted together. "I thought flies were bugs," she said confused.  
Bilbo looked at her for a long moment, seeing Fili smiling at her naiveté from behind her, before shaking his head. "Yes you're right, flies are bugs."

"Oh look it's a little bird," Kili said coming to stand by his brother, smiling at the small bird on her hand.  
"A bird?" Pearl asked looking up at him.  
Kili cleared his throat and puffed his chest out slightly when he noticed his uncle staring at him. "Yes, it is a bird," he said making his voice sound deeper.

Thorin looked over her head and saw the bird had burrowed itself between her hands, resting in her cupped palms.

"What do you make of him?" Dwalin asked motioning towards where Gandalf had left with Radagast.  
Thorin shook his head not knowing what to think of the strange wizard. They continued to speak quietly, many of the dwarves whispering about either Pearl or Radagast, until a howl chilled them all to the bone.


	10. it's driving me evil, evil

_Kaia: Orcs/goblins probably don't know mermaids, cause the mermaids in my story usually hide. And for those who have seen a mermaid probably do not know what they are or what to think about them. What I've been thinking is that while underwater the mermaids look like the left side of the picture I use for the story, which makes them blue and they blend into the water. So they aren't usually seen when they don't want to be. _

* * *

"Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked afraid.

"Wolves," Bofur said, his voice shaking. "That is not a wolf." They all looked forward, in the same direction, not sure where the sound had come from. The sound however, had come from behind them. A low growling was heard before a warg leaped from atop the hill behind them. Thorin killed the beast with his sword, and heard the whizzing of an arrow shooting past his head and saw that Kili had killed a warg behind him.

"Warg scouts," Thorin declared. "Which means an orc pack are not far behind.

"Orc pack?" Bilbo said incredulous looking to see Fili had placed himself once more in front of Pearl. She had seen a few wargs as she swam through rivers, though they seemed to be the only creatures who could see her beneath the surface. She looked down at the bird in her hands to see him shivering as he tried to burrow deeper.

"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" Gandalf demanded.

"No one," Thorin replied.

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf nearly yelled.

"No one I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted," Gandalf said.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin said frightened, though his steady voice did not show it.

"We can't," Ori said running down the hill. "We have no ponies, they bolted." They were all panicking as they heard several howls and dangerous growling drawing nearer.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast said holding his hand out to Pearl to which she returned his bird.  
"These are Guldur Wargs," Gandalf said turning to his old friend to see him put the small bird back in his hat. "They'll outrun you."

"These are Rustibelle rabbits," Radagast said voraciously. "I'd like to see them try."

Pearl had left Fili's side to run by Bilbo's, urging him faster. She had not encountered danger such as this, hearing the many howls and snarls from the wargs as they chased Radagast.

"Come," Gandalf said. He led them from behind their cover, across the yellow plains. In the distance they could hear the excited screeches of orcs on the hunt, the terrible howls and yips of the wargs, as well as Radagasts whoops and cheers. They paused behind another hummock, and Gandalf leaned out, assessing the situation and planning. After a moment he motioned the group to keep running.

"Where are you leading us?" Thorin demanded. His glare was dark when Gandalf did not answer, forcing the dwarf to follow behind blindly. Thorin, like many of the others, searched for the woman to see if she was fairing well and found her at Bilbo's side holding fast to his hand as she ran faster.

They had just pressed their backs against the sharp ridges of a large boulder when they heard the low growl of a warg above them. Thorin nodded to Kili and he readied his bow as the warg stepped closer to the edge of the boulder where they would be noticed. Kili loosed his arrow bringing the warg, and its rider, tumbling to the ground in front of them. The rider was thrown from the warg and the beast struggled to stand, nearly squealing from the pain. Dwalin with his ax and Bifur with his boar spear charged while Thorin went after the orc. The sounds of the warg's yelps and screams and the orc's cries as they were killed echoed around the large field.

Thorin looked to Pearl to see her eyes wide with tears as she stared at the dead warg, realizing she may not have ever seen death; wondering if Gandalf knew how much she would change before she returned home. He heard the oncoming chase and held his hand out for her to take, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes that told him he had been right, though she took his hand and he pulled her after him. There was no more ducking and hiding, they ran as if a fire had been lit at their heels. For all her newness to life, having never run before, Pearl held her own on her shorter legs. The company burst into an open patch of plain where here and there a lone scraggly tree grew, but otherwise no cover was found. The hunting party had closed in on them, coming from all directions and trapping them. Thorin kept Pearl behind him, keeping a firm hold on her as he turned to see they were surrounded. "Kili," he yelled not seeing his nephew.  
Pearl settled against Thorin's back, searching for Bilbo but her eyes kept finding wargs instead. She pulled away from the dwarf as Bilbo reached her, grabbing her hand in a painful grip as they wondered what to do. Pearl had never liked wargs, with their monstrous faces and long sharp teeth; she had not liked the way they always seemed to find her beneath the surface of the river, her fin usually blending in with the water so she was unseen.

"Where's Gandalf?" Bofur yelled not seeing the wizard among them.  
"He's abandoned us," Dwalin said gruffly coming to stand by Thorin's side.

The wargs and their riders slowly came closer, knowing the group had nowhere to escape to. "Hold your ground," Thorin ordered loudly.

Even Bilbo held his sword, arming himself as Pearl refused to; that was something Thorin had realized earlier, her heart was gentle and she would not take a life.

"Here, you fools!" they heard Gandalf's voice yell, seeing him stand from behind a rock. Thorin roared for them to follow Gandalf, seeing he had found a small cave. Bilbo helped Pearl stand and pulled her out of the way of the others who were still coming. Without much mishap they all stood safely in the cave, hearing the howls of the wargs above them. They stared up only able to hear as a loud horn blared and the orcs began screaming. They listened to the sound of horse hooves and screams, leaping aside as an orc fell dead into the cave.

"Elves," Thorin spit as he examined the arrow that had killed the orc, fixing Gandalf with a heavy glare.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads," came Dwalin's voice from the other side of the cave. "Do we follow it or not?"

"Follow it, of course," Bofur yelled.

"That would be wise," Gandalf said. They all started forward, following the narrow passage through rocks, over a shallow stream, and finally out onto a cliff that wound gently down into a valley.

"The valley of Imladris," Gandalf said, seeing the dwarves staring in awe at the beauty. "But in the common tongue it is known by a different name."

"Rivendell," Bilbo whispered turning to see Pearl's eyes widened in wonder.

She stared at the beautiful place, feeling the water flowing near and wanting very much to swim in it.

"This was your plan all along," Thorin said to Gandalf, making Pearl turn at the anger in his voice. "To take refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf said reprimandingly. "The only ill-will you'll find in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

"You think the elves will give their blessing to our quest?" Thorin asked. "They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will," Gandalf said. "But we have questions that need to be answered." Upon seeing Thorin's understanding he continued. "If we are to be successful this needs to be handled with tact and respect, and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave all the talking to me."

Gandalf led them down the long narrow path leading into the city, Thorin following close behind so he could address the wizard on the current issue at hand. "I think she has been scared enough," Thorin said quietly. "I believe it is time she returns home."  
Gandalf gave Thorin a long look before answering. "That is not a decision for you to make, we agreed she was my responsibility not yours."

Thorin nearly growled at the wizard not seeing his point. "Gandalf, she has never taken a life. Her heart is much too soft for what the rest of this quest entails."

"She has not seen a life taken beyond the ways of nature either," Gandalf mused.

"All the more reason to send her home," Thorin insisted looking over his shoulder to see her listening to Bilbo's animated speech, knowing the hobbit had great love and admiration for the elves.

"I do not think she would leave," Gandalf informed him. "Not with Bilbo still here, anyway. She has taken a great liking for our burglar, and a great many of your company. As they have for her."  
Thorin walked by the wizard's side knowing this to be true, he himself being fond of her though he did not want to be. "You will burn all of the good out of her. How much of her are you willing to destroy before you deem her ready to go home?" Thorin asked trying to make the wizard see she could not continue where they were going.

Gandalf did little more than sigh and nod, knowing she would be forever changed before the end of their journey.

"Why did you really want her apart of this quest? She is much too gentle for what we will come to face, Gandalf," Thorin told him.

Gandalf looked down at Thorin, hearing that the dwarf king cared more for her than he would admit. "Perhaps her gentleness is what you need," the wizard told him before turning back to Rivendell. It was not but a few minutes longer before they finally reached the end of the path, and they stood at the stone step of the place of elves.


	11. I was a heartbreaker

_Vana: thank you for your reviews. The way I structured my sentences in this story in particular, is a mimicry of how Tolkien structured his sentences in the Hobbit. He has these long drawn out sentences that could be shortened, but they're part of what makes his tone and his stories so wonderful; and I'm sorry you're not liking it in my story. I wasn't put off by your first review, just because I'm still pretty new to writing stories and need criticism. But it almost seems like you're looking for things in each chapter you're not liking and then bashing my story. You're not offering anything I've done well, or maybe I haven't done anything you like. Which if that's the case I'm horribly sorry. With your review on chapter 9, at that point there's nothing to indicate he likes her. He's interested and fascinated, but learning she was hurt by a sword wouldn't make him enraged - it would only be a passing thought to him. And she's not very pale, she's tan. I had actually been using the mermaid from the Pirates of the Carribean movie, cause that's the accent I was thinking of. But then everyone kept asking if it was a POTC crossover, so I changed the actress. So short answer; she's not pale._

* * *

Many of the dwarves, namely the younger ones, were staring in awe at the beauty of Rivendell while it was the older dwarves who stared with mistrust. Bilbo and Pearl however had no quarrel with elves unlike the dwarves and the two recognized the beauty of both the place and the singing they could hear; it was a lovely place inhabited by even lovelier people.

"Mithrandir," a voice called gaining all their attention. Pearl stared at the man who walked down the steps, his body long and lithe and his face more handsome than she thought possible of those on Middle Earth, which she now knew to mean he was an elf. "Lindir," Gandalf said in greeting.

Pearl listened to the beautiful way in which the elf's voice lilted as he spoke in a way she did not understand; having never heard the elven tongue.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond," Gandalf said hoping the dwarves would continue to remain civil, the only way they would receive the help they needed.

"My Lord, Elrond is not here," Lindir informed the wizard.

"Not here? Where is he?" Gandalf asked, and hardly a moment later the same horn from the valley blared.

They turned towards the sound, seeing a great many elf on horse riding on the bridge towards them. Thorin yelled something to his Company in khuzdul, something neither Pearl nor Bilbo understood, though they both understood when he yelled; "Close ranks!"

Bofur grabbed Bilbo and Bilbo in turn grabbed Pearl as the two were thrust towards the dwarves who formed a circle around them; Pearl pressed herself closer to Bilbo, the flashing of silver from the many weapons that were much too close making her nervous. Pearl watched as the riders steered their horses around the group of dwarves, surrounding them, and her eyes found one elf in particular who she recognized as someone of nobility from the way he held himself.

"Mithrandir," the dark haired lord said as he greeted Gandalf with a hug. "Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone have drawn them near."

"That may have been us," Gandalf admitted and turned to the Company and Thorin stepped forward.

"Welcome Thorin son of Thrain," the lord Elrond said surprising Thorin. "I do not believe we have met," Thorin said not liking that the elf knew him.

Elrond appraised him briefly before speaking again. "You have your grandfather's baring. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain," said Elrond kindly. "Indeed? He made no mention of you," Thorin said almost sneering.

If Pearl had not heard the many proclamations of the dwarves' distaste for elves she may have been confused over Thorin treatment of the kind lord, as it was she simply thought Thorin foolish to bare a grudge over someone who obvious held no dislike for him or his kind.

Elrond's eyes narrowed at the dwarf king, hearing the contempt in his voice. Only Gandalf knew what it was Elrond said in his elvish tongue, though it made the dwarves' blood boil to hear it.

"What is he sayin?" Gloin demanded. "Does he offer us insult?" Many of the others dwarves grumbled their own unhappy words at thinking themselves insulted.

Pearl pressed closer to Bilbo when the dwarves behind her moved closer, stealing the breathing space she had had moments previous.

"No master Gloin he's offering you food," Gandalf told them, the urge to roll his eyes at their foolishness was almost too much for the wizard. They quieted at that before pressing together and speaking quietly to each other. "Well in that case lead on," Gloin said, the dwarves having reached an agreement.

Pearl looked to Bilbo in disbelief at the dwarves' behavior but Bilbo was left to do nothing more than shrug as they followed after. They were seated at a table filled with a great amount of food, though the dwarves still found reason to complain. "I don't like green food," Ori told his brother Dori. "Where's the meat?" Dwalin asked looking beneath his salad.

"Have they got any chips?" Ori asked looking around. Though the wine was good to taste and the dwarves had plenty of that. And the music being played was pleasing to all their ears, at least once Oin put a napkin in his ear trumpet so he could hear the flute. Bilbo sat at a table with the Lord Elrond, Gandalf, Thorin and Balin, his heart swollen with happiness at finally meeting elves, "real elves" as he liked to call them. Though he looked for Pearl to see how she was fairing, not having seen food as fine as this, and found her sitting by the ledge staring at the water with longing. It had been at least a week or two since last she had been in the water and he wondered if she would grow ill the longer she stayed out; for she had been needing to drink more water as of late.

"Who is she, Mithrandir? She is neither dwarf nor hobbit, I know she is no elf she is much too small nor does she have the look of man," Elrond asked the wizard. Gandalf swallowed his wine uncomfortably, not knowing how to answer the lord, though looking in the elf's smiling eyes Gandalf wondered if he knew. "Her name is Pearl, she is a great friend to Mr Baggins," Gandalf said.

"Yes, she told me her name. I asked how she found Rivendell and she told me it was very beautiful, that it was filled with good. Unlike the rest of the world who had turned evil a few years previous," Elrond said smiling, seeing the guilty smile on the wizard's face.

"She is very intuitive," Gandalf said quietly taking another, larger, sip of his wine.

"That she is," Elrond said looking to where she sat briefly. "I do not believe she understands the passing of time, that or she does not feel it." "What makes you say that?" Thorin asked, not liking how close the elf was to understanding what Bilbo believed her to be, what he himself almost believed her to be.

"It is not often one considers five centuries a few years, which was why I had thought she was an elf at first, though her ears and height say otherwise," Elrond said looking back to Gandalf to see if he would tell him what he was thinking was true.

Thorin stared at his plate in shock; having never imagined she had lived longer than he.

"You are correct, she is no elf," was all Gandalf said.

Elrond smiled at the realization none of those in the Company would tell him what she was, protecting her in the way she would need for who they may meet along the way of the journey. "There are many who may find her to be a most rare jewel, they would not let her go easily," Elrond said in warning to Gandalf, who nodded at the knowledge. "How did you know, if I may ask?" Gandalf asked realizing Elrond knew. "She is beautiful, enchantingly so. Her voice is accented in the ways of using another language, one I have never heard. And she stares at the water as though it is a part of her." Elrond answered smiling.

Pearl sat on the ledge hearing the beautiful music of the elves, having never truly heard it before and she found it much more pleasing than the rough music of dwarves. Though she had enjoyed listening to Thorin sing, his voice rumbled and growled much like he did when he spoke. She had never been to Rivendell before, though she had passed near the river that flowed through it and she had been right in that even when evil had entered Middle Earth the waters of Imladris had stayed pure – much like the people.

"Would you like to go to your room?" the elf Lindir asked coming to stand next to her.

She looked up at him, his long body being much taller than hers. "Do I get my own?" she asked, thinking she would stay with the others.

"You are a woman, of course we would not make you lie with men," Lindir said pleasantly, though she could see the startlement in his eyes. "I do not mind really," Pearl said softly as she stood, "but I am very grateful that one has been made for me." She was trying to be polite as Gandalf had told them all to be, though she wasn't quite sure what that meant.

She followed after Lindir, who she stared at wondrously as he was the first elf she had seen so close; she had not thought any beings that walked the earth could be so lovely, but she was greatly proven wrong for most of the elves were almost as beautiful as she. "Here you are," Lindir said opening a door to reveal a large room with a wonderful view of Rivendell. She marveled at the view from the balcony before Lindir spoke once more; "a bath can drawn for you if you like." "I would like that very much," she said quickly, yearning for the chance to submerge herself in water so she could actually breathe again.

"I will get two elleths to assists you," he said before leaving her.

"Wait," she called though she had been too late and he had already gone. She did not want anyone else with her, she thought she would be alone. "What am I going to do?"

…

Bilbo returned to the others followed by Balin and Thorin after Elrond had read the map; though it had taken much coaxing before Thorin finally relinquished it. A few of the dwarves were sleeping while many of the others were sitting by the fire and speaking quietly.

"Where's Pearl?" he asked when he did not find her. "They gave her her own room," Bofur said. "I think that Lindin elf said she was taking a bath and not to disturb her." "Lindir," Bilbo corrected in a whisper as he thought of what Bofur's words meant. "Where is her room?" "Three doors that way," Bofur said pointing in the direction Lindir had come from. "Where are you going?" he asked after seeing Bilbo rush off.

Bilbo walked quickly through the hall counting the doors before he found the third. "What is it?" he heard Thorin's deep voice from behind him say. Though Thorin had guessed what had gotten the hobbit so worried, if she were a creature of the sea being in a bath while in a place of elves was a terrible thing indeed.

"She cannot get wet," Bilbo said panicking, seeing two female elves standing outside the third door.

"She is in a bath, you should not enter," one said staring down at the two of them.

"She did not want even us in there," the second said disapprovingly. "Honestly, that one has no manners what with her yelling for us to get out." Bilbo nearly sighed in relief at them not having seen Pearl. "Thank you for caring for her, she's a bit shy. She is my wife, actually," Bilbo said using the same lie he told the dwarves. "She would not mind me being there." "And him?" the second she-elf asked staring at Thorin. Bilbo did not know what to say so he simply stood there hoping the elf would reach her own conclusion; though from the disgust on her face he could tell it was an inappropriate one. "Thank you again," he called after them as they left before throwing the door open.

"Bilbo," Pearl said in relief when she saw who it was, thinking it was one of the elves again.

Thorin stared down at Pearl in absolute shock, seeing her sitting of the floor in a wet puddle with a towel in her hand as she dried herself off. He should have turned away at her being nude, he should have not been allowed to see her uncovered flesh –only that there was not much flesh to see past her stomach – where her legs and hips should have been there were scales as blue as the sea.


	12. I loved you the same way I do

_Ali:_ _You and me both, I ended up loving him. Most likely they'll get along swimmingly. _

_Guest: I'm so glad you like my story, and my fast updates. I'm really enjoying writing it. I'm also really glad you like Pearl, she's different from any other character I have ever written so I wasn't sure how I was doing. _

_I got really into last chapter and I really wanted to write this part so I went ahead and wrote it. I hope you enjoy._

* * *

"What do we do" Thorin asked closing the door so no unwanted eyes would see.

"We have to dry her off," Bilbo said before searching for another towel.  
Thorin knelt beside Pearl and took the towel from her, grateful when she wrapped her arms around her chest to cover her breasts, and began drying off her tail. He purposefully allowed his hands to slip past the towel to stroke the scales, feeling how slick and slippery they were against his skin; though he stopped when he felt her shiver against his touch. A small scar ran along the side of her tail, and he remembered her telling him she did not like the way swords stung. He heard Bilbo pilfering through the room in search of something else to dry her with, though she had already dried herself enough that it was not needed.  
Thorin's breath left him when he watched her tail turn to the color of her skin, looking as though it were melting off of her as two legs formed. He stared in wonder at the small feet her fin shrank into, and then at her legs; seeing the same scar on one of her calves that her dress had covered. He followed her legs with his eyes until he reached her hips, seeing the deep pink of the skin between them, his face growing warm when she brought her knees to her chest to mask his view. He looked into her eyes to see her staring at him uncertain.  
She knew he should not see her as she was, she did not know why but she knew he shouldn't. She saw the pink of his cheeks and realized he was embarrassed, not knowing what to do. No one had ever touched her tail, it had almost tickled sending a spasm of tingling through her.  
"Oh good, your tail is gone," Bilbo said holding a blanket he had finally taken from the bed. "Oh," he said startled once he realized she was completely bare with Thorin hardly a few inches from her, seeing Thorin's uncomfortableness with what he had seen.  
Thorin plucked the sheet impatiently out of the hobbit's hand before wrapping it around Pearl's shoulders, happy to have her covered with something. "Where is her dress?" he asked looking about the room.

"Here," Bilbo said spotting it draped over a chair. "It's wet, they must have washed it," Bilbo said and they both realized that she could not wear it.

Thorin sighed as he wrapped an arm around her back and the other underneath her knees and lifted her, feeling her small hand clench his shirt in her fist. She was small in his large arms, lighter than he thought she'd be; she was delicate, her small bones fragile in his strong hands. "Bring her dress," Thorin ordered before walking through the door Bilbo opened.

"What's going on, is she hurt?" Dwalin asked when he saw Thorin walk onto the balcony the rest of the dwarves were on with Pearl in his arms.  
"She's well," he said setting her down a little ways from the others. He grabbed the sheet before it could slip from her shoulders, waiting until she grabbed and wrapped it tighter around herself before he stood and moved away from her. "We have many things to discuss," Thorin said sitting next to Balin.

…

Thorin woke the others early the next morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon.  
"Pearl," he said gently touching her shoulder, her skin warm beneath his hand. When Bilbo had told her her dress was dry she had already fallen asleep and so he'd left her. Now the covers had slipped down her shoulder and her back was uncovered as she laid on her belly. He shook her shoulder gently and saw her eyes flutter as she woke.

"Are we leaving?" she asked as she pulled the blanket around her.  
"Yes, come," he said before helping her stand.

"Thorin?" Bilbo asked quietly. "Shouldn't she put her dress on?" Bilbo shrunk back from Thorin's hard glare as the dwarf led Pearl past him.

Pearl held the blanket around her with one hand while she ate the biscuit Thorin gave her with the other. "What is that?" she asked seeing Thorin unroll a large paper with drawings on it.

"A map," he said before bringing it closer. "This is where we are," he said pointing to Rivendell, "and this is the river that runs through it. You will take this river to the river Mitheithel and it will lead you to the Mountains," he said tracing the path he wanted her to take with his finger. "It ends here so you will have to walk through the small gap until you reach Rimlath which will take you to Anduin. There will be trolls so you must walk quickly," he warned and waited for her to nod. "From Anduin you will swim south a ways but we should come across you here," he said pointing to where he thought they would descend from the Mountains. He made her repeat what he had said before he rolled the map back up and stood staring down at her. "You will be careful," he said and she nodded. He did not wish to leave her on her own but he did not think she would fair well on the Mountains and so reluctantly he had discussed a different way for her to travel with Balin the night before and they deemed this the best route.

"You will too and everyone else," she said knowing he would care for the others for it was his duty as their leader. "And you will look after Bilbo too?" she asked knowing Thorin was still not entirely fond of Bilbo.  
"I will look after the halfling," he grumbled in agreement.

"Would you wait for me if you had the choice?" she asked, very aware he did not want her near the dangers the quest entailed, having heard him talk with Gandalf.

Thorin's gaze was heavy as he stared down at her. "If I thought you would not follow then no," he told her honestly making her smile slightly. "I suppose you should go," he said quietly, wondering if she would run into any trouble that might cause her harm.

"Will I have to jump?" she asked seeing they were rather high up from the water.

Thorin motioned for her to follow and the others in the Company did as well wondering where they going. Pearl looked down the rocky ledge, seeing if she stepped right she could use the ridges as steps; and so she began her descent, hardly slipping for she calculated her every step before she made it.

"Where is she going?" Kili asked as he watched her climb down toward the river.

"Uncle?" Fili questioned feeling the same as his brother.

"Is she not coming with us?" Ori asked, and many of the others dwarves asked questions similar as they did not understand why Pearl, who they considered a friend, was climbing down the edge wrapped in a blanket instead of going with them.  
Bilbo stared over the edge as he watched Pearl's descent, having guessed Thorin's plan since the dwarf now knew what she was. Pearl made it to the bottom and she looked up at the others still standing on the edge before turning back to the water.

She was nearly buzzing with the need to be in the water, feeling the river flowing in her veins. She dropped the blanket without a second thought before diving in, feeling the surging of the water begin to wrap around her legs as her tail grew.  
"What is she doing?" Gloin asked as he stared down at her. Not a single one of them had missed the flash of her skin before she dove, Thorin remembering the feel and warmth of that skin clearly when he held her in his arms.

The river flowed around her as she brought her head to the surface to look up at the Company, returning Bilbo's wave.  
"Be careful, lassie," Balin called having heard the wonder in Thorin's voice the night before when he told him what he'd seen.

Pearl gave them one last long look, staring at each of their faces and realizing she had grown to care for each of them in some way, some more than others and some differently than others. Just as they had all caught the flash of sun kissed skin not a single one of them missed the flash of blue scales as she dove beneath the water once more; and then she was gone.


	13. but I've got so much wickedness and sin

_So the way I laid this out was between her journey and theirs, and hers isn't done yet. But I skipped a lot of what the Company did but I'm assuming everyone knows what happened. So after this chapter I'll continue with the rest of her journey, which is about 36 hours I believe, and I'll leave out the dwarves' adventures until they meet again. _

* * *

It took Pearl no more than six hours to swim to Mitheithel from Bruinen, she moved in a gentle rhythm as she followed the current downstream delighting in being able to swim again. However once she reached the fork between the two she realized she must swim upstream until she reached the Mountain, knowing it would take her at least two days, not including time to rest. She swam the rest of the long way, her tail beginning to ache from how fast she was swimming, and when night fell she burrowed herself at the bottom of the river in the sand and fell asleep; the weeks she had spent on land making her accustomed to sleeping after the sun set.

It took her three long, tiring days of swimming against the river's current before she made it to the shallow waters in which the river was born. She crawled out of the water and lay shivering in the night waiting for her tail to dry so she could walk, seeing the gap Thorin had told her of though in all honesty it was much larger than she had thought it would be. She could almost feel her blood turning to ice as she laid in the cold, the night brought a chilling wind that was not felt when in the water. Several times she almost leapt back in the river, the cold making her tail dry slower, though she thought of Bilbo and she thought of Thorin and his nephews, and of Dwalin and Balin, and Bifur, Bofur and Bombur, and Dori and Nori and Ori, and Oin and Gloin, and she grit her teeth and continued shivering until finally she felt her tail shrink into her legs though it did little to warm her.

She stood wrapping her arms around herself to block the wind, realizing she was completely bare and walked toward the gap of the Mountain knowing she would find no sleep in the cold. Thorin hadn't thought of her not having clothes during the time she had to walk, and neither had she; it was not a common thing for a mermaid to worry about, but she had grown used to wearing something to cover herself and she felt strangely exposed as she walked.

…

"We should be going through the Mountain Pass tomorrow," Thorin said as they settled for the night. The winds howled and tore at them making them tremble, and so they bundled tighter and pressed closer to one another to gather warmth.

"Where do you think Pearl is?" Bilbo asked not liking that she wasn't with them, wondering what she would do if she ran into trouble.

"I hope she's safe," Dori said sadly and Ori nodded glumly.

Thorin sighed at hearing their unhappiness at her being gone, not realizing how much they had come to care for her, finding himself worried for her. He, like the others, were forgetting that she had lived for centuries longer than any of them and she had gotten herself out of trouble without any of their help numerous times. As it was Thorin could only remember the sweet woman who looked the youngest of all of them, and her wide tear-filled eyes at seeing him kill a warg, as well as the many things she had come to learn that most had learned when they were young.

"Do you think we'll find her when we get to the other side of the Mountains?" Kili asked.

"Do you think she'll wait for us?" Fili asked looking to Thorin for the answer.

"What if she decides she doesn't want to come back on land, that she likes being in the water better?" Ori cried dismayed.  
"She will be there when we leave the Mountains and she will continue with us on this quest," Thorin told them firmly, bringing ease to many of them.  
"She should be at the gap or coming very close," Balin said quietly at Thorin's side.  
"I know," Thorin said morosely, already imagining the horrible things in the gap she may come across. All he could imagine was her sweet face marred with fear as she stared at something that was bearing down on her. He could even hear the way she'd scream as she cowered against the rock wall.  
"Thorin," Balin said placing a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "She will find us well," he tried to soothe, "she has lived this long without us."  
Thorin sighed shaking the thoughts of her coming across such danger from his mind. "I should not have sent her on her own," he said quietly.

"There is not much water to be found on these Mountains, except from the rain that seems to be coming in. One of us would have had to carry her, and if we came across any trouble she would be helpless; this was the best way for her."

Though Balin's word were true they did little to appease Thorin's worries, and those troubles followed the dwarf king into slumber.

…

Pearl crept along as quietly as she could, her footsteps light and quick as she moved as fast as she could. She was grateful for her long hair, which covered her breasts as they bounced lightly with each step. All light seemed to be sucked out of the world when she stepped through the gap, darkness surrounding her completely the further she went in. She heard many sounds that sent her heart to racing, growling and snarling as something was torn apart, a few whimpers of pain and then silence. She nearly screamed when she felt something brush against her leg, not able to see a single thing in front, behind, or above her; her feet raw from the many times she had almost tripped. A deep growl sounded somewhere above her and she could feel the danger in the air, knowing the creature was readying itself to attack her. Pearl stood breathing heavily before taking a deep breath and opening her mouth to sing – and silence settled around her.

_There's a boy across the river with black curly hair  
He wants to be my lover and I want to be his peer  
There's a boy across the river but alas, I cannot swim  
And I never will get to put my arms around him._

…

Thorin laid awake listening to the hobbit as he spoke of missing his home, Bilbo repeating the words Thorin himself had spoken only hours previous after the thunderbattle. In all honesty he was glad the halfling was leaving, knowing Bilbo did not have the strength or will for what they would come to face. _If only Pearl were here to go with him,_ he thought; he knew there was a good chance she would leave with Bilbo, having been fonder of him than the others. He refused to let himself think of what she would face in the gap, wondering if she had made it through yet or if she had met her end – knowing it would be his fault if she had for he had directed her there. He heard a soft cracking sound as though something was breaking, and looking down he saw the ground begin crumbling as fissures formed.  
"Wake up!" he roared startling the others from their sleep. They hardly had enough time to sit up before the floor beneath them cracked and they were falling.

…

She continued to sing as she began walking, feeling a great many eyes on her as she moved though she felt no more danger. It was a long while before she reached the end of the gap through the Mountains, the sight of the moon above her almost a shock from being in such darkness and her voice left her; relief flooding through her when she felt water near. She moved as quickly as she could towards the river, the feeling of danger looming around her once more, before diving in and swimming away as quickly as she could – howls of anger reaching her ears beneath the water.

* * *

_The song I used for her to sing is Alas, I Cannot Swim by Laura Marling; I will be using more of the song later, but this song choice turns out to have a lot of meaning (some being symbolic), and I would be very impressed if anyone could guess some of the meaning behind it already - if not don't worry it's explained later. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy.  
_


	14. my name is Pearl

_Kaia: it is about Thorin, she just doesn't know it yet. For the part "across the river" it's symbolic for her being in the river and him being outside of it. For Pearl, as a mermaid, it was natural for not to think of it cause she never had before. Thorin has no excuse; but then again dwarves were never known to be smart. :)_

_Guest: I would welcome a review from you anytime, thank you so much for taking the time to leave them. I'm glad you liked how I ended up doing their separate journeys, I got the idea while writing the last chapter. This is my third hobbit story where I've written this part of the journey so it was great to write something different. _

_Ali: they certainly do, at least when she's not with them. _

* * *

Pearl had swum for an hour, passing a fork of a river that also came down from the Mountains, before she finally curled up at the bottom of the river and slept, waking at midday to a hungry belly. She was happy for the river being downstream as she could swim faster without much strain, and it was easier to catch fish. She swam slowly, not knowing the exact place in which they would descend the Mountains. It was a few hours of swimming at her leisure before the river began to shallow. She laid in the water on her belly as she looked around, the sun warm on her back, her fin flicking in the water. She saw a strange looking hill that had steps carved in it and she wondered if that was where they would come down from. Thorin had showed her a ford, which he told her would be too shallow for her to swim through and she assumed she was close to it, and told her she should go no further. And so she sat for the remainder of the day, which was not long, and she moved to where she could lay beneath the surface and sleep.

She caught another fish when she woke before sitting herself on a rock, her fin resting in the water. She thought of the song she had sung while in the gap, most mermaids songs were influenced by words heard from above the surface, but she did not know where hers had come from. She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the water leave it as it dried. She opened her mouth and sang, the words leaving her as they had two nights before without a thought.

_There's a boy across the river with black curly hair  
He wants to be my lover and I want to be his peer  
There's a boy across the river but alas, I cannot swim  
And I never will get to put my arms around him_

_There's a life across the river that was meant for me_  
_Instead I live my life in constant misery_  
_There's a life across the river but I do not see_  
_Why I should please those that will never be pleased_

She sighed contentedly as she twisted her hair in her hands high over her head, it always being a wondrous relief to sing. She turned when she heard a great group of noise to see Thorin coming down from the steps on the hill, behind him she saw Bilbo's smiling face and then Gandalf's more stern one.  
Her voice had drifted up towards the Company as they walked down the steps, wearied from being chased by the goblins and then Azog, who in fact was not dead, Thorin almost dying in the process. The ache and pain of Thorin's wounds left him when her voice invaded his mind, and he was once more drifting in the sea as Pearl swam around him, this time he felt her gentle touch caress his face. His dream stopped all too soon as the song ended, his pain returning to him as he walked down the steps of what Gandalf had called the Carrock.

"Pearl," Bilbo called upon seeing her and he smiled when she returned his wave.

"Pearl?" Ori said delightedly, the others not yet seeing her. The dwarves all cried a greeting when they saw her and she smiled and waved at each of them when they hailed her.

"I see you made it safe and well, lassie," Balin said when they made it down to her.

Thorin walked straight to her and took her small shoulders in his large hands and turned her to him. "You are well?" he asked, having spent many days and and nights thinking harm would befall her. He glanced over the shape of her breasts beneath her hair and continued searching for any harm; though he found none.

"A mermaid," Gloin exclaimed as they all stared at her blue scaled tail. It was a lovely sight to behold as the water glittered on it in the sunlight.

"A bath does not seem like a bad idea," Bofur said at the thought of water, and the dwarves heartily agreed wanting to rid themselves of the filth of Goblin Town.

Thorin lifted her from the rock, holding her much like he had in Rivendell, and set her in the grass covering her with his fur-lined coat. He took a breath at the feel of her fingers on his face, realizing he was still bruised and hurt. He took her small hand in his and kissed her fingers gently, knowing she did not fully know its meaning though he could tell it affected her all the same.

Pearl sat breathing unassuredly as Thorin walked away from her, not understanding what he had done or why her heart was racing. She stared at the others as they began to undress, something that was noted by several of them.  
"Like what you see, las?" Gloin jested though Pearl did not laugh for she did not understand.  
"Is something the matter?" Bilbo asked recognizing her face to be one of unknowing.  
"I thought we were not supposed be undressed in front of others," she said, repeating what Bilbo told her the first time she asked why she needed clothes.

"Oh," Bilbo said nearly jumping, "speaking of that." He went to the bundle he had left behind and pulled out the dress he had given her a few weeks ago in Hobbiton. "For when you dry off," he said handing it to her. She looked so small beneath Thorin's large coat, he was not only taller than her he was also almost doubled her width.

Gandalf stood behind while the others went in the water. "You should probably not sing in front of them again," he told her quietly having seen the way the others had fallen under her spell; having felt the tendrils of her enchantment reaching for him. It worried him how affected Thorin was from her song, seeing his heart was easily taken by things of beauty – by treasure. And Gandalf had worried from the moment he saw Pearl that Thorin would think of her a treasure beyond compare

The dwarves finished bathing, many of them had begun to splash each other, and they left the river to lay in the sun. They pulled on their long johns and bathed in the sunlight feeling warm and glad to be out of the Mountains, though they were hungry for they had no food.  
Thorin had sat near Pearl to find her curled beneath his coat in her dress fast asleep, he knew in order to have met them on this day she must have swum without much rest. Her song had ended an hour ago but he could still hear it ringing in his ears, and he was frustrated to no end that he could not remember the sound of her voice. His limbs felt as though they were still swimming, not quite as sore as they had been before; laying beside her he did not think he had fully woken from his dream, or if he ever wanted to.


	15. and I love you the best way I know how

_Kaia: I'm probably thinking Beorn hasn't, but he would know they exist since he talks to animals and some animals have seen mermaids. Thranduil probably knows they exist too, and he would be very happy to have his hands on one since he loves treasure and pretty things so much. _

_Guest: Thank you very much. I'm glad you like the innocence I've kept about her, I think what some people are forgetting (myself included) is that she's not human; she's basically an animal which means she doesn't understand humanity. And I'm just not sure how to portray all that, so I made her innocent and naive. It's not just gonna be her singing anymore to give Thorin butterflies, it's gonna be everything about her now. And I'm so excited to write it. _

_PS: they certainly are getting to dangerous waters, they need to watch it. thanks for reviewing._

* * *

"I always meant to see you safe over the mountains, minus a few setbacks, I have done it. I have a few pressing matters to attend to, but I may look back on you all before your quest is through," Gandalf said once the dwarves had all dressed and they gathered what little things they had left to continue on.

Pearl nearly shrunk back from the outburst of the dwarves; many yelled "You're leaving us!" and "What could be more important than taking back Erebor?" as well as few "You can't just leave us!"

"Enough!" yelled Gandalf gruffly. "I will not leave you this very moment though should you continue to complain I might come of mind to disappear this instant!" The dwarves settled quickly after that, not wanting to upset the wizard anymore.

"Probably I can help you out of your present plight, and I need a little help myself. We have no food, and no baggage, and no ponies to ride; and you don't know where you are. I have not been in these parts for years. There is a man who remains to be the only person who lives here, it is he who we must go to for aide," the wizard told them gruffly.

"Who is this man you are taking us to?" Thorin asked, remembering the last time Gandalf had led them to a friend it turned out to be elves.

Pearl listened in fright as Gandalf told them of the man Beorn who he said had a terrible temper, and therefore they were required to behave their very best. She was not the only one who was worried about the man.

"That is who you are taking us to now?" asked Bilbo unhappy.  
"Couldn't you find someone a bit more easy tempered?" asked Dori, equally unhappy though more worried about upsetting the man.

"Yes, Bilbo, it is. And no, Dori I could not. Beorn is a trusted ally. If you must know more he is a skin-changer."

"A skin-changer!" said Bilbo now extremely put off.

"Yes," answered Gandalf with sigh. "Sometimes he is a man, and a very large one at that, and sometimes he is a bear."

"Bear?" squeaked Ori, positively frightened.

"Yes a bear," said Gandalf having enough of the questions. "I will speak no more of this matter, it is settled. Follow me if you wish to have a place to stay and food to eat," he grumbled walking away from them.

Thorin had turned at Pearl's gasp when Gandalf said Beorn was a bear, knowing she would be afraid of seeing this man, however her eyes were alight with wonder. The corners of his mouth turned up at her face though he did not agree with her desire to meet the man, in fact he felt very uneasy to meet him if what Gandalf said was true. But Gandalf was right in that none of them knew where they were and so none of them had a choice but to follow.

They walked for hours before they rested and the dwarves whispered quietly about the man Gandalf was taking them to. Fili and Kili were huddled together speaking excitedly, while Ori was complaining softly about the bear-man, terrified that they would be eaten, which caused Dori's uneasiness to grow. Bilbo was sitting next to Bofur who was telling Bombur and Bifur of what it would be like to be mauled, and Bilbo was quickly growing anxious.

Pearl however was sitting right beside the wizard asking him all sorts of questions about the man.  
"Pearl," Gandalf said suddenly quieting them all thinking he would speak harshly with her for bothering him, "if I didn't know any better I would say you were excited." Gandalf's face was kind when he looked down at her, she was the only one who was not complaining and he thought she was probably the only one Beorn would welcome fully. Her smile was bashful as she looked up at him and he patted her gently on the shoulder before standing.

"You are sure you're well?" Thorin asked as he took Gandalf's place beside her, having seen the way she lightly placed her feet on the ground when she walked.  
"Of course, Thorin," she said again, him already having asked a few times before.  
As it was, he placed his hand around her calf before inspecting her small foot seeing the small scrapes and bruises that covered it. "Did you come across any trouble?" he asked still inspecting her foot.  
"Only a little," she said softly making him look up at her. "I'm obviously fine."  
"You might not have been," he told her sternly and she sighed irritably. "I know you have seen more years than any of us, but you do not know,"

"how to survive on land," she said finishing his sentence, making him realize she knew she needed them. His calloused hands were rough on her soft skin, almost tickling, but they were warm and strong making her feel weak. She had spent hardly a month on land and yet she was already different; a month before she would have hidden herself from Thorin thinking him dangerous. But she trusted him, he was the leader of the Company she had no choice in that, but she liked him too – he tried very hard to love his nephews but his duties to his people as their king made it nearly impossible, she had seen that over the weeks she had known him.

Thorin stared at her deep blue eyes, the color of her fin, the color of the sea. If he stared at her long enough he almost felt as though he were drowning, the feel of her skin beneath his hand almost luring him out to sea. She was beautiful, alluring, enchanting; he wanted to feel her in his arms as the river surged around them, to feel water on his tongue as he kissed her. He blinked in surprise at his thoughts, seeing Pearl was watching his face closely and knowing she had seen the desire written plainly across it though he hoped she did not know what it was. He released her leg before standing and ordering them to continue, hoping to put distance between himself and her.

He was wrong though, Pearl knew exactly what desire was and what it looked like; she did not know it's name but she knew it's look and what it meant. She had seen many people – elves, hobbits, men – as they kissed, sometimes even made love. They were sweet, delicate moments she moved passed knowing they were not for her eyes, but she had seen many times the look of passion on someone's face – the look she had just seen on Thorin's as he stared at her. There had been many men that had stared at her in longing since she joined the quest, some in the Company, most in the towns as they left the Shire and the villages around it, even from a few of the elves in Rivendell. There was something different about Thorin's though, she just could not figure out what it was.

She may not have known why Thorin's fascination with her was different than the others but Gandalf knew why, he could see it in her pinkened cheeks – Thorin affected her almost as much as she affected him. He did not know for certain why Pearl had taken such a liking to the dwarf king but the wizard thought she might just like Thorin for who he was; a strong, noble, battle-hardened warrior who had been hurt a great many times and yet tried to hold on to his hope.

Gandalf thought all this as they walked closer to Beorn's, wondering if bringing her along on this quest had been a grave mistake. He knew Pearl craved the water, but she also craved knowledge as was in her nature; she also seemed to crave companionship which the wizard saw in her attachment to Bilbo and the rest of the Company. But the quest was dangerous, and he did not plan to see them through Mirkwood any longer, and there were so many things that would destroy her – Thorin included. Gandalf shook himself of these thoughts, storing them for later contemplation, and instead focused on how to approach Beorn.

It wasn't until the middle of the afternoon that they finally came to the edge of Beorn's land; patches of flowers of different kinds were spread along the ground; the buzzing of his bee pastures reaching their ears.  
"We are here."


	16. my blonde curls slice through your heart

_Guest: I loved Beorn in the book and I am so excited to see him in the movies. I hope you like how I did her meeting him, I had fun with it._

* * *

They continued walking forward, Ori still muttering about the man being a bear, until they reached a tall hedge not even Gandalf could see over.

"You had better wait here," Gandalf said. "When I call or whistle begin to come after me, but only in pairs, and about five minutes between each pair of you. Bombur is the fattest and may do for two, he will come last. Come on Mr. Baggins, Pearl" Gandalf said, and with that he went off along the hedge taking the frightened hobbit and the mermaid with him.

Thorin stared after where Pearl had left, not wanting her to be where he could not see her with such a dangerous man. Though he hadn't a choice, one hard look from the wizard silenced his protest and he was left to watch as Pearl walked away looking wary though still rather avid.

Pearl followed after Gandalf as they walked on the path past the gate, Bilbo close at her back as he stared around him wide-eyed. As they walked a few horses trotted up to them, staring at them with strangely knowledgeable eyes. And then the horses trotted away towards the house.

"They will tell him of our arrival," explained Gandalf to Bilbo and Pearl.

A huge man with thick black hair and great arms was standing near the house waiting for them, the horses at his side. "And here they are," he said in a great booming voice, "they don't look dangerous. Off with ya," he said to the horses. He came towards the three strangers towering over Gandalf, and poor little Bilbo's head barely reached above the man's knees, same as Pearl's. "Who are you and what do you want?" he questioned gruffly.

"I am Gandalf.."  
"Never heard of 'em," the large man growled before turning to Bilbo.

"Bilbo Baggins at your service," Bilbo said stuttering as he bowed low.

Pearl stared up at the large man, never knowing anyone could be that tall, and Beorn bent low to stare down at her as well. "Who are you?" he asked as he appraised her.  
"Pearl," she said simply without bowing, not knowing the correct ways of formal greetings.

Beorn continued to gaze at her, seeing from the way she looked at not only him but also his home that she had seen little of the world. "Now I know who you say you are, what do you want?" he said before turning back to the wizard.

"To tell you the truth, we lost our luggage and nearly lost our way, and are rather in need of help, or at least of advice. We have had rather a bad time with goblins and orcs in the mountains."

"Goblins?" said the big man less gruffly. "O ho, so you've been having trouble with _them_ have you? What did you go near them for?"

Pearl looked at Gandalf confused before she turned to Bilbo. "What are goblins?" she asked quietly and he shook his head in case Beorn would hear.

Pearl listened almost as curiously as Beorn did as Gandalf explained how the goblins had surprised them as they rested in a cave on a mountain pass. She then followed after Gandalf as Beorn offered them inside, staring at the giant chairs with beautiful carvings and the big table as well as the big bed. All too quickly they were outside and Pearl sat near Beorn as she stared up at him in wonder, though she would shrink back when he spoke for his voice was very loud or when he would move for she was still warily frightened of him.

Though it was only when Beorn would speak that Pearl would look back to him, having not heard what the Company had faced while she had been away from them. She listened as Gandalf told Beorn of the Goblin town and of Bilbo being missing for a short time and then of the orcs and wargs that chased them into the trees, though every now and again Gandalf would increase the number of their party. And every time Beorn would stop him and then more dwarves would come in.

Gandalf finally came to the end of their tale where the eagles had rescued them, and all in the Company were now present, and Beorn had paced around in excitement from the story. Gandalf had been very clever in how he introduced the dwarves, for the interruptions had really made Beorn more interested in the story, and the story had kept him from sending the dwarves off at once like suspicious beggars.

Pearl watched delighted as Beorn's animals began to set up the table for them to eat, having heard the way he spoke to them in a strange language she could almost make out. She crawled up in her large chair, which the others had to do as well, and she sat at the very edge of it so she could reach the table. There were more foods than she knew and so she looked to the dwarves to them shoveling it all in their mouths, and then she looked to Bilbo and decided to eat more like him.

"What did you say your name was?" Beorn asked as he watched the only woman, knowing something was strange about her from not only the way she behaved but also from her strange voice.

"Pearl," she told him quietly.

"Where are you from?" he asked and they all stilled at his question. Beorn smiled at the silence in the room, knowing he had been right in thinking she was not normal.

Pearl looked to Gandalf first and then to Thorin, seeing they were both at a loss for what to do. "The sea," she answered and she nearly flinched at his loud booming laugh.  
"Well you're a small little thing, aren't you," he said looking at her happily. "In all my days I never thought I would have gotten the chance to see a mermaid."  
Pearl gave him a small smile, pleased he was happy with the knowledge of who she was. Beorn spent a long while asking her many questions of the sea, as well as the things she had seen over the span of her life; which Elrond had been right in her not understanding the passing of time. It was then that they learned, Thorin the most, that Pearl might not be as naive as they had assumed. They listened as she told them of all the creatures out at sea, many being large and terrible, and of all the many things and people she had seen when exploring the rivers of Middle Earth. Thorin was impressed by the many things she knew, some things he himself did not know.

They sat long at the table with their wooden drinking bowls filled with mead. The animals moved around them setting up beds for them, and Beorn left them with the warning: "You should not venture out until the sun is up, on your peril."

They all settled down for the night in their beds, comfortable and warm and safe. Something they had not been able to feel for many nights.

Thorin laid in his bed staring at Pearl's sleeping face, watching the flames from the fire flickering across her face and hair. He knew, after listening to the many years she had lived and the many things she had seen and faced, that he should not feel like she needed his protection. But try as he might he could not look at her and see someone who could defend themself, he could only see the way in which she looked at the world – as though it was a marvelous thing worth exploring. He had faced too many perils, too much destruction and sorrow to ever think of the world like that anymore.

He looked at her and saw a strange woman with a gentle spirit who had wormed her way into all their hearts without even knowing it; even his. He wanted to hold her in his arms and destroy any harm that came to her, he wanted to know she would stay with him for the remainder of his days. He turned from her at those thoughts, always trying to force them away and yet they returned.

Gandalf sighed at the way Thorin looked at Pearl, knowing his heart was already taken by her as it was by his treasure. There was little more the wizard could do, Thorin would not let her go now, it was something he should have thought of before bringing her on this quest; realizing if Pearl should feel the same way for Thorin that she would never go home. And Gandalf laid awake a long while wondering if perhaps it was already too late.


	17. and the siren come calling

_Kaia: At the point in which Gandalf met her, she would not have gone home. So he had hoped to scare her into wanting to leave, cause there was no way for him to know she wouldn't just come back once he left. So he didn't take into consideration Thorin developing feelings, cause that's not what Thorin does, and he didn't consider Pearl developing feelings, cause they are so new to her. So it's what he didn't think too hard about that turns out to be what he should have thought about. If Thranduil gets enough time to watch Pearl and see how she behaves he would guess what she was, and he'll get very close to finding out what she is before someone takes his attention off of her. So she'll be imprisoned with the others. She travels by foot with the others, which because of lack of water she gets very sick. They travel by barrel in the river to escape Thranduil so she'll just swim with the barrels.  
_

_Ali: yes Thorin is sweeter, he's infatuated, he's under her spell. But I hope I'm still keeping him in character. _

_Ari - Beorn is just so wild and funny, he's hard not to love. There's definitely more Pearl and Thorin moments in this chapter. _

* * *

Most slept in that morning, the comfort of their beds too hard to leave but they were all awake before noon. Bilbo was the last one to wake and was therefore the last to eat, even the remainders the dwarves had left were better than the meager meals they had been eating as they traveled.

"We have been looking for Beorn since the sun came up; but there is no sign of him anywhere," said Dori who was with many of the other dwarves moving about the hall.

"Where is Gandalf?" Bilbo asked with a stuffed mouth.

"He's probably gone off somewhere," grumbled Thorin as he sat on a bench with a pipe in his mouth.

"And Pearl?" Bilbo asked not seeing her with the others nor had she been in her bed.  
That made many of the dwarves come up short. "Where is she?" Bofur asked.  
"Perhaps she's still sleeping," offered Fili.  
"Do you think she went with Gandalf?" asked Kili.  
Bilbo saw Thorin's grip on his smoking pipe tighten. In truth Thorin had spent most of the morning wondering if Gandalf had taken Pearl back to the river so she could go home, and the thought of Gandalf taking her without speaking to him first greatly angered the dwarf king.

"She wouldn't have left us," Bilbo said assuredly, knowing Pearl wouldn't just leave.  
Thorin did not appear to have the same faith in her for he was still clenching his pipe and glaring at the table. Bilbo continued sneaking glances at Thorin out of the corner of his eye, seeing he was angry but Bilbo also thought he might be upset.

"Found her," Dwalin called and Thorin was on his feet immediately.

"Where is she?" Thorin asked once he reached Dwalin who was standing in front of the bathing room. Thorin looked to see a massive tub that Beorn must have built for himself and then he nearly laughed when he saw Pearl's head as she sat up in the tub. She sat herself up on her elbows as he moved to stand before her, almost eye level with him from the large tub. He could almost feel her eyes beckoning him to join her, feel the water flowing in his veins as he stared at her. There was a flash of blue as her fin flicked in the water and that was all it took for him to lean forward; her small hand was firm on his arm, pulling her to him as the need to have him with her overwhelmed her.  
"You found her," Bilbo said happily when he saw Pearl in the tub, though a moment later he realized he had interrupted something.

Thorin blinked into awareness at the sound of Bilbo's voice, awaking from his reverie. Pearl's hand slipped from his arm and he pulled back, the ends of his hair wet from how close he had been to getting in the water. He stared at Pearl seeing the confusion in her eyes before she laid at the bottom of the tub beneath the water.

The skin of her body took on the same gleam as her tail and he gazed at the small scales covering her, she hardly looked human anymore; her navel was gone, her nipples. The only thing about her that looked human was the shape of her upper body: she still had the shape of breasts, her hands, her face. Her eyes were different, other than her abnormally large pupils the rest of her eyes were golden – they were those of a fish.

"Thorin," he heard a soft voice say, one he thought almost sounded behind his ears in his mind. He wanted to run his hands over her body, to feel the slick scales beneath his fingers.

"Thorin?" Once again Bilbo's voice brought Thorin out of his mind and this time Thorin stepped away from Pearl until he could no longer see her, though he could almost feel her presence calling him back. "Thorin?" Bilbo asked startled as the dwarf rushed out of the room. "Pearl?" Bilbo called timidly as he peered over the edge of the tub, seeing she had curled herself at the bottom. He sighed before leaving the room as Thorin had, seeing Dwalin still in the doorway as confounded by Thorin and Pearl's behavior as he was, before joining the others.

Pearl continued to lay at the bottom of the tub, feeling Thorin's eyes on her as he stared at her with wanting; she had never wanted, so much, to swim with someone, to have someone at her side. She stayed until Bilbo told her it was time for supper and only then did she crawl out and dry off. Bilbo braided and tied her wet hair so it would not touch her skin and then left so she could dress.

"We were wondering if you would ever come out," Balin said in greeting when she sat at the table. In truth she looked healthy; her skin was brighter, she was not so thirsty. They sat down for the dinner the animals had set up talking about when their wizard and their host would return for neither of them had been seen since the night before.

Just as the last light from the sun fell below the horizon did the door open to reveal the wizard. "Where is our host, and where have you been all day?" they all cried over one another.

"Hush!" said Gandalf. "I have not had a thing to eat since breakfast and will answer nothing until I have supper."

The dwarves were forced to wait until after Gandalf had eaten, and then he took out his pipe. "This is a splendid place for smoke rings," he said, and they could get nothing more out of him for some time. His smoke rings were marvelous, green, blue, red, silver-grey, yellow, white; big ones, little ones; little ones dodging through big ones and joining into figure-eights, and going off like a flock of birds into the distance. Pearl had watched amazed at all the little figures, having never seen them before, making a few who saw smile when she tried to touch one.

And finally Gandalf told them of his doings that day which consisted of him following Beorn's bear tracks as far as the Carrock, but then they had disappeared into the river. And by that time it was getting too late for him to follow them far. The trail went straight off in the direction of the pinewoods on the east side of the Misty Mountains where they had hid in the trees from the wargs.

After Gandalf had finished his tale the dwarves continued to sit at the table with ale and pipes, enjoying the warmth and safety of Beorn's home. They sang songs, and Bofur, Dori and Nori played their flutes and Pearl sat quietly listening to their music. After over a month of hearing the dwarves sing and play their instruments, at least those who still had their instruments, she could finally listen to them without her head aching. Pearl was almost sad to have heard Thorin had lost his harp in Goblin Town, his playing was sweet and lovely to hear. She was not as sad to hear that Fili and Kili had lost their fiddles, though their songs were cheerful their music grated on her ears. Pearl was however delighted to hear Thorin sing again in his deep rumbling voice, the only voice out of the Company she enjoyed listening to.

It was a long while later before the dwarves retired to their beds, having spent much of it drinking and smoking, and Thorin laid in his bed beside Pearl to see her eyes closed as she dreamed. He tentatively reached his hand out to brush against where he had seen the gills on her neck, her skin was warm and smooth under his fingertips. Her eyes were open when he looked to her face, his calloused fingers rough on her jaw. Her own fingers were smooth and small when she brought her hand up to his, her touch electrifying him.

"Would you sing for me?" he whispered, the choice of his words holding far more meaning than he realized he was giving away – he did not just want to hear her sing, he wanted the song to be for him. He continued to touch her face, her fingers slipping between his as they wound together. Her voice lilted softly and he felt himself drift on the waves of the dream her song cast him in.

_Give me touch  
Cause I've been missing it  
I'm dreaming of strangers  
Kissing me in the night  
__Just so I  
Can feel something_

_You steal me away_  
_With your eyes and with your mouth_  
_And just take me back to your house_  
_And stare at me with the lights off_

_To feel something_

She had invaded the dreams of those who were sleeping, and disappeared once her voice stopped as though she had never been there. And some of those who had been awake were now asleep, and those who had not fallen into slumber had all but forgotten her song. As always it was Thorin who stayed the longest, who was woken from the dream the last, who's heart was taken the most.

Pearl knew the look in Thorin's eyes, had seen it twice before on his face, had seen it on numerous other people's faces as they looked at another. She felt something flutter in her chest, her lips spread when his thumb brushed against them. She had seen a kiss a number of times as well, though it was something she had never done and she found herself wanting it – craving the feel of his mouth on hers.

Her lips were soft beneath his, her hand firm as it held his, her chest rising and falling rapidly as was his; he had not allowed himself time for these fancies, had hardly been with a handful of women and all of them had been tavern whores. He did not let himself care, to have or to show his feelings, they were not the things a king did; yet there he was pressing gentle kisses against the lips of a mermaid.

* * *

_The song I used is Touch by Daughter.  
_


	18. it won't be long until you're running

_Guest: I know, I've been waiting for it happen. They will be getting another moment, all to themselves, in the next chapter. _

_Kaia: I'm very glad to hear you like my story, and that I'm keeping Thorin in character. I always dislike stories where Thorin's all nice and loving to the character he's in love with, but he's still a grump. So even if he's in love he'd still be pretty grumpy with them. Which is what I'm trying to keep. Perhaps I'll make you wait until it happens in the story for you to find out. :) (muahaha)_

_Ali: I'm glad to hear you say that. There's so much of him that he doesn't show so it's up to a fanfiction writer to create that part of him; but I'm trying very hard to make it a believable side of him._

* * *

They were woken the next morning by Beorn himself. Thorin sat up at the sound of the large man's deep booming voice to find Pearl staring up at the man with a small smile. He remembered clearly the feel of those soft full lips on his, of the taste of her mouth beneath his timid tongue. He shook himself of thoughts of her when he felt his heart quicken and he stood to follow Beorn to the dining hall.

Beorn was in a particularly good humored mood, and set them all to laughing with his funny stories as they ate. Unlike when others told stories Pearl actually understood what Beorn was saying, something she liked very much about him.

Beorn then explained that he had traveled, in bear form, to where Gandalf had claimed they had come from, and seeing the burnt glades that part of their story had been true. He then found a goblin wandering in the woods from which he learned that the goblins had allied themselves with Azog.

They spent all that morning busy with preparations. Beorn provided ponies for each of them and a horse for Gandalf. He gave them food that could last them for weeks with care, and he supplied them with skins for water; with extra for Pearl.

"But your way through Mirkwood is dark, dangerous, and difficult," he said. "Water is not easy to find there so you must save much for her. Food is hard to find too. Nuts are about all that grows there that are fit for food; in there the wild things are all dark, queer, and savage."  
Pearl stood by Bilbo's side as she listened to Beorn speak of Mirkwood, wondering if they had to go through the forest, it was one of the places Pearl would not swim through for she could feel the dark and the evil that had taken root in the woods. She would not even swim in the fork that went through the forest, she could feel something beckoning her near, some kind of magic strange and dark.

"In the dim shadows of that place I don't think you will shoot anything, wholesome or unwholesome, without straying from the path. That you MUST NOT do, for any reason. That is all the advice I can give you. At the gate of the forest I must ask that you send back my horse and my ponies . But I wish you all speed, and my house is open to you, if ever you come back this way again."

The dwarves had thanked him of course, with many bows and bouts of "at your service". But their spirits sank at his grave words, and they all felt that the adventure was far more dangerous than they had thought; even if they passed all the perils of the road, the dragon was waiting at the end.

Bilbo noticed that Thorin was keeping his distance from Pearl, but Bilbo also saw the dwarf watching her out of the corner of his eye. Bilbo would have not thought much of it, casting it aside as Thorin taking an interest in her, but Pearl was behaving much in the same manner. And so Bilbo was left to watch the two in great confusion, not knowing in the slightest what had happened between them, though he could imagine what had.

"Perhaps it would be best should Pearl swim up the river while we make for the forest and one of us ride out to fetch her," Gandalf suggested to Thorin before they were setting out to leave.

"There won't be much water in the forest," Thorin mused in agreement, knowing she would need as much water before they went in.  
"In all honesty she should not come with you," Gandalf said knowing Thorin's eyes would be dark when he turned his face up, and they were.  
"She will not stay behind," he said gruffly in refusal and Gandalf sighed knowing that would be his answer.

"She would if you told her to," Gandalf told him, knowing that to be in fact very true.

Thorin's eyes hardened as he glared up at the wizard. "I will not ask her to," he growled before walking towards her. "It would be best if you followed along in the river until I come get you," he told her quietly and then turned towards Beorn. "Would it be too much to ask of you to see her safely to the water?"

Beorn smiled before placing his hand on Pearl's shoulder. "It would be a delight," he declared loudly with a large smile. "Say, wanna ride on my back?"

Pearl's face filled with joy as she gasped in excitement, her hands fluttering as she voraciously agreed. "What?" Thorin asked startled. He continued to stutter as he thought of Pearl riding on Beorn's back while he was a bear, something he did not like the look of. Neither Beorn nor Pearl were paying Thorin any mind as Beorn told her of how fast he could run and as she stared up at him completely amazed.

Gandalf chuckled at Pearl's ecstatic face and Thorin's unhappy one. "He will get her to the water safely in due time," the wizard said amused. Thorin turned his appalled eyes towards the wizard, nearly growling as he stalked away.

Soon after midday they ate with Beorn for the last time, and after the meal they mounted the steeds he was lending them. Pearl returned Bilbo, Ori, Fili and Kili's wave as they trotted off. "Ready?" Beorn asked her with a mischievous smile to which she nodded. She gasped in awe as she watched his shoulders widen as Beorn grew even taller, she saw the dark hair on his arms grow and thicken into fur and then watched his nose and mouth elongate into that of snout, and then as claws extended from his hands and feet.  
Beorn came to stand on all four paws and Pearl found that she could walk beneath him without her head touching his belly. He laid on the ground so she could climb on top before taking off at a run towards the river, taking little over an hour to reach it. She slid off his warm back when they reached the bank, her eyes glued to the water as she felt it moving in her veins. She was startled when she saw Beorn was a man again though she was quick to thank him.

"You will always be welcome should you swim near here again," Beorn said kindly as he stooped down to look at her.

It was only when Pearl turned to dive into the river that she remembered her dress; once again they had all forgotten about her clothes.  
"This is the first time you have had to deal with clothes isn't it?" Beorn asked as he watched her look at her dress in indecision, her small smile confirming his suspicions. "I'll take it to them if you like."  
"Are you going with them?" she asked as she slipped her dress off.  
"I'm looking after my ponies," he told her, knowing dwarves were not known for their honesty nor their word. "Tie it around my neck," he said before turning back into a bear. She reached her tiny hands up and tried to tie her dress around his neck only to find the dress too small. She then tried one of his arms and she stepped back pleased to see her blue dress tied on his wrist. She laughed when she felt his tongue on her face before he rubbed his large head against her. Beorn waited until she dove into the river and then came up to wave goodbye.

She tilted her head back to stare up at Beorn as he looked down at her, his mouth open and his teeth bared as he gave her smile. She gave him a smile of her own before she dove under the surface and swam the number of miles Beorn told her before she should stop; and there she was left to wait for four days until Thorin finally came for her.


	19. help you dress yourself up fancy

_Ari: I'm excited to write those two scenes, especially the barrels cause I'll be sticking mostly to Pearl's POV. Remember, in the forest there's not a lot of water and Pearl needs lots of water. *hint hint* I'm jealous too, I wanna ride Beorn. (and yes, I know how that sounds :) I hope you enjoy Pearl and Thorin's moments, and I hope I kept him in character while I wrote them._

* * *

Pearl swam around for most of the first day growing very bored early during the second. She laid herself on a rock and watched schools of fish swim around her, listening to their bubbling chatter. She also watched the animals on land as they moved about, and she ached for something to do. That was something else Gandalf had not taken into consideration, though it was of no fault of his for he did not know the nature of a mermaid in its entirety. But Pearl's life on land, though it was short, had piqued her interests so supremely that she was no longer satisfied living as she used to; she now craved the danger of adventure.

…

The dwarves arrived at the Forest Gate at noon on the fourth day. They dismounted the ponies Beorn let them ride and sent them on their way back to his home, except for Thorin who had been given leave to keep his long enough to bring Pearl to the others.

"What about your horse then," said Gloin. "You don't mention sending that back."

"I don't, because I am not sending it," Gandalf answered.

"What about _your_ promise then?" demanded Dwalin.

"I plan to keep it. I am not sending the horse back, I am riding it," Gandalf answered crossly.  
They knew then that the wizard was leaving them at the very edge of Mirkwood, and they were in despair. They begged and pleaded offering Gandalf more gold and silver if he should only stay.

"Enough," called Thorin silencing them all. He had been the only one to remain silent. "He has carried us this far and we should be thankful. He has earned his share time and again but this is not his quest, and we have no claim to his time."

They all turned at a great rustling in the trees to see a large black bear step out of the forest. "Beorn, what are you doing here?" Gandalf asked, knowing the bear had been following them but not why he was confronting them at the moment.

Beorn hardly acknowledged Gandalf and stood in front of Thorin holding his paw out. It was then Thorin realized he had forgotten about Pearl's dress when he saw it tied around the bear's wrist. "Thank you," he said as he put it in a bag on the pony. The bear nodded before running off after his ponies, who were very pleased to him.  
"I will go fetch our mermaid," Thorin told them as he mounted the pony. "We will probably arrive back on the morn," he told them before riding off.

It took him less than three hours to reach the river, and barely ten minutes before he spotted Pearl laid out on a rock in the sun. Her smile was warm when she saw him and he had to shake himself from the thoughts it cast on him.  
"I don't think you know how happy I am to see you," she said when he jumped down from the pony to stand before where she lay.

"Why is that?" he asked as he sat.  
"I think I almost died of boredom," she told him as she rolled onto her belly and held herself up on her elbows.

Thorin felt a smile twitching on the corners of his mouth. "I don't believe that is possible," he informed her.  
"If you sat on a bank for four days you'd feel the same," she grumbled as she stretched herself out. "When are we leaving?" she asked sleepily as the sun warmed her blood.  
Thorin's eyes trailed down her back and down her long blue tail, watching as her fin flicked in the water lazily. "We will leave at dawn. I want you in the water as long as possible."

He ended up laying beside her for the rest of the afternoon, which hadn't been more than two hours, listening to the calming sound of the river. "Are you hungry?" he asked, wondering what she'd eaten the past three nights.

"What are we eating?" she asked sitting up, her hair barely covering her breasts as she moved.

It took Thorin a moment before he could tear his eyes away from their round shape, his cheeks reddening when he realized she knew he'd stared. He berated for blushing, actually blushing. "This is what Beorn gave us," he grumbled holding out a honeyed biscuit for her.

They ate in silence as the sun began to set, the air growing colder around them. It was not until the sun had disappeared that he realized Pearl was shivering, her tail still flicking though it was no longer in the water. "Here," he said draping his fur-lined coat over her shoulders. Even then he could still see her shaking, feeling the wind cold on his now uncloaked back. In the end he pressed his back against a tree and held her quivering body against his chest as he tried to get her warm; the air not warm enough for her tail to dry.

It took a few hours for her to stop shivering, even after her tail became legs, even after she had fallen asleep against him she had still shivered. Though she did stop, and she laid still against him as she slept. Dawn was only an hour off when he allowed his eyes to pour over her face, taking in her dark hair and her sun-licked skin, her sharp cheekbones, her bruise colored lips so plump and full. Any man seeing her lips would want to lay kisses on them, and Thorin was no exception; only that he already had.  
It was a long while of staring at her before he realized her eyes were open, and then he wondered if it was not her eyes that would cast him under her spell. As it was he wanted to swim in the depths of her dark blue eyes, he wanted to feel her hands on him as he tasted the sea that was her mouth and the waves that were her tongue. And after a moment longer he did, and he delved deep into her slipping his hands beneath his coat to find her warm skin.  
Time seemed to stand still, not a sound reached either of their ears, her mouth warm and sweet on his tongue. The sun was peaking its head over the horizon before they pulled away breathless, his hands around her back, his coat slipped down to her waist, her hands on his broad chest, their hearts pounding and their faces flushed.

"We should go," he said quietly as he tried to calm his heart, chastising himself for letting her effect him so. He turned his head away as she dressed, refusing to be lured by the sight of her skin, and helped her onto the pony after she had. He fastened the belt on his coat around him before settling in front of her, his breath hitching at the feel of her arms wrapping around his waist as she held onto him.

"We were wondering when you two would return," Gloin said when he saw them come through the trees a few hours later.

"Good to have you back, lassie," Balin said kindly as Dwalin helped her off the pony and many of the others voiced their agreement.  
Thorin dismounted and sent the pony on its lonesome way, his eyes seeking out Pearl's lovely face on their own accord. "Is something the matter?" he asked upon seeing her wary face.

"Where are all the animals?" she asked him softly and upon listening he realized there were hardly any sounds of life, knowing she had felt the evil in the water of these trees.

Gandalf left them with the warning to keep to the track, the fourth time that warning had been stressed. The dwarves were despaired at seeing the wizard off, though they turned from the light that lay on the lands outside and plunged into the forest.


	20. bathe you when you get sore

_Ari: There aren't many ways to make that sentence sound not dirty, but I do love Beorn so I don't mind. I'm very glad to hear that, I'm never sure how well I'm doing at keeping Thorin, Thorin, but still making it so he's caring for someone. Pearl is gonna have some struggles in Mirkwood, starting this chapter._

* * *

Pearl stuck close to the dwarf in front of her, which was usually either Thorin or Dwalin, being further from Bilbo than she had been the entire trip; though it comforted her to hear his small voice from where he was near Fili and Kili. She did not like the strange green light that spread all about them, the leaves of the tall trees too thick to let actual sunlight through. She did not like the sounds that were missing; there was no bird chatter, no slight rustling of the leaves from a small animal crawling around, no graceful deer – there was nothing peaceful. Instead there were strange grunts and scuffling of awkward feet that they all heard. She did not like the air in it either, or rather the fact that she could hardly feel the air at all; no air moved under the forest-roof, and it was everlastingly still and dark and stuff. She did not like Mirkwood.

Thorin kept her close at hand, not risking anything leaping onto the path and her being too far behind to protect. He had given her one of their spare weapons and though the small ax was heavy it had fit comfortably on her waist. She didn't like the ax anymore than her previous sword but she did not complain, she simply sighed and nodded before removing her eyes and refusing to look back at it. He could see her uneasiness, see it in the way she moved and spoke and looked about her as though something great and dark were hiding beyond the path.

He was right in her uneasiness, as the time drew on and they went further into the forest Pearl began to feel something watching them, waiting for when they would stray from the path. She could almost feel that that was what they wanted as she felt herself and the rest of the Company being watched by malevolent eyes, and a great many of them. Thorin had first noticed her uneasy grow to fear when he felt her brush against him, and looking back at her he saw her eyes wide as she stared beyond the line of trunks outside the path.

"Do you see something?" he asked her quietly.

"No, but I can feel it," she answered softly, her voice thin and timid as though the sound alone would bring about destruction.

Thorin could do no more than take her hand and pull her along, feeling each day as her hand would hold his tighter that her fear was growing. And he would feel from her stiff spine as they lay for sleep that the complete darkness terrified her; it scared him too. There was no light when night fell, not even a hand could be seen in front of their faces. The only thing they could see were the great many eyes that stared at them, eyes of all colors, staring at them from all directions. Thorin realized that Pearl, being what she was, could feel all of these creatures watching them throughout the day and surrounding them throughout the night.

Thorin held her as they slept, that there was no light and no way for the others to see being the only reason he allowed himself to, he wrapped her tight in his arms as she buried her head in the crook of his neck to escape the eyes. Sometimes he would find her lips and kiss her fears away, but mostly he would lie and hold her firm against him. To keep her mind off of what surrounded them he whispered stories to her, stories of his life, his home, the dragon who stole it, the meager life he was forced into, his life in the Blue Mountains, the battle for Moria. There came a point in those dark woods when he had told her everything, and her voice soft and fragile as she asked him questions or told him something she had seen that she had been reminded of.

"I've been here once," she said one night, what felt like years since they had entered the forest but had really only been a little more than a week.

"I thought you said the evil in the water kept you away," he said quietly in her ear as he rested his cheek on hers as he held her.

"It was not always evil, it had not always been so dark," she whispered. "I think I've been to Erebor."  
"Really?" he asked curious, her having asked if there was a river that was birthed beneath the Lonely Mountain had made him wonder.

"It was not as you had said, at least not from the river. I think maybe it was a long while ago, when it was still new."  
Thorin laid with her in his arms wondering, not for the first time, just how old she really was. Though he knew from asking her before that she did not know.

"Thorin," she said, her voice a breath against his neck.

"Yes, Pearl," replied Thorin as he played with her hair, running his fingers through the long wavy curls.

"I'm thirsty."  
"I know," he told her, and he did. He had kept her on a strict ration, not willing to run out of water for he did not know how long she would survive without it. And even then they were running low for she needed it everyday, almost every hour. He could see the little amount he was allowing her to have was not enough, she was pale and weak, her breathing would deepen with only a little amount of strain, she was growing slower and he would often have to keep a hold of her and pull her along. Not to mention their small amount of food, even being rationed left them hungry and hopeless at watching the small stores waste away knowing soon they would have no food at all. Gandalf had been right, Thorin realized, she should not have come with them in this dark forest where hope was lost or stolen.

This was all Thorin was thinking of when a strong, black river blocked their path. Thorin could almost imagine how glorious it would be to bathe in it, to drink it, but he remembered Beorn's warning against this enchanted river. And a thought crossed his mind almost too late.

"Pearl, no!" he roared as he grabbed her, feeling her struggles as she tried to reach for the river. Beorn had not mentioned if the enchantment would effect Pearl as it would them, but Thorin would not take that chance; he would not lose her.


	21. I'll be good, I think I could

_Kaia: I'm thinking, as a mermaid, the river would probably effect her differently. Maybe it makes it so she doesn't care about anything else, all she wants to do is stay in it. That'd be really bad._

_Ari: I'm excited for her and Thranduil too, cause I was going to do it one way but now I'm doing it totally different._

* * *

Pearl was not able to struggle for long, and Thorin might have been glad when she settled except that she went limp as she breathed heavily. He laid her down and watched as her head turned toward the river, wondering if perhaps its enchantment was beckoning her.

"Balin, stay with her," Thorin said before turning back to the river, trusting his old friend to keep her safe.

Bilbo stood over where Pearl lay, seeing her chest rising and falling too rapidly for her weak struggles, paying him no mind as she stared at the black water; which Thorin had been right, it was calling to her.

She could hardly hear anything, every sound was muffled, and her eyes were fuzzy and nothing was clear. She could hardly see the faces of those around her, but she could see the water; she could feel it flowing strong. Her entire body ached and screamed for her get in, her heart beat so hard she could hear it pound against her ears. She felt so dry and hot, her lungs not strong enough to breathe.

Unknown to her, but very well known to many of the dwarves, was that she was dehydrated; and greatly so. They were almost afraid looking at how far she was already gone. It was this fear that set Bilbo searching for some way away from the river, hoping the nearness of the water was the cause of her decline of health.

And so Pearl was left to lay on the ground, hearing Balin's muffled soothing as he stroked her hair, as the others tried to hook a boat across the river. She hardly knew what was going on, there was nothing to her but the painful beating of her heart and the call of the water. She didn't even feel Thorin pick her up, and seeing her head as it fell back scared him greatly. She did, however, feel when they were in the boat.  
Thorin had her in his lap as he held her limp body to his chest, her eyes glued to the water. She looked up at him, startling him with the movement, and he looked down and was captured by her eyes. They seemed to grow larger the longer he stared at her, and he was falling in to them.

"Please, Thorin," she whispered, she begged. "I'm dying."

"Thorin?" Bilbo said nearly slapping him in the arm as he tried to get his attention.

Thorin's mind was taken from the spell he had fallen under and he realized how close he was to putting Pearl in the water. "Keep us moving," he ordered, and soon enough they had reached the other side.

Pearl laid miserably on the bank as the others went about bringing the rest of the Company to other side. She at some point had lost consciousness for when next she opened her eyes Bombur was being pulled out of the river and laid on the ground. She did not even have it in her to complain, her throat felt swollen and dry; _she_ was dry.

In the end Bombur was fast asleep with no promise of waking and Thorin did not even ask before lifting Pearl into his arms and carrying her. "I will not chance her crawling back," he said at the protests of moving forward, his stern words and look ceasing all complaints. When they got far enough away from the river Thorin sat with her in his arms and wondered at her words. He knew she had been trying to get him to put her in the water, but looking at her pale face and hearing her shallow breathing he wondered if perhaps she was dying. And then his next worry was how long before she would die, for they had run out of water.

Pearl lost all sense of awareness. She did not notice when Thorin put her on her feet and pulled her after him, didn't notice the many times she stumbled. She did not even notice when Kili put a bundle on her back, for they now had to carry their bundles and Bombur, and her knees had given out and she had fallen. It was not many days after the river that she could no longer stand, and Thorin was forced to carry her; often times he slung her over her shoulder. She could not eat for she was not strong enough to chew. And Thorin was growing terrified she would soon not be strong enough to draw breath for she was already wheezing.

If she had been aware she might have been able to warn the others from straying from the path, having felt the very creatures that would come to attack them almost every night since they had entered the trees. But she was drifting towards dying when Bombur woke and she did not even know they had left the path. She did not see the fires the others saw, nor did she feel Thorin set her down three times as the dwarves rushed towards them.

And she did not feel when hands, ones she did not know, lifted her from the ground and carried her further through the trees; the sounds of her friend's yells not even reaching her ears under the weight of death.

The next thing she knew after the river was the feeling of water, of breathing. Her lungs expanded fully and breathed for what felt like the first time, her eyes fluttering as water licked at the small gills on her neck. She felt life slowly start seeping back into her and she opened her eyes to look for Thorin, but it was not his face she saw.

"A mermaid," a soft beautiful voice sighed as he stared at Pearl's fin, his fingers running the lengths of her tail as he touched in her places he should not be allowed. She stared in fearful awe at the pale man – his hair long and so blond, his eyes the pale blue of the sky – at his hungry smile as his eyes raked over her strange body, taking in her scaled hips and her round breasts and her beautiful face.

Thorin had told her of this elf, though the dwarf had not told her of his great beauty, of how the elf had abandoned he and his kin – hearing the hatred and loathing in Thorin's voice as he spoke of him. This was also the elf Gandalf had warned her of, to not let know what she was. But there she was, her strength gathering slowly, his hands running along her body, his eyes staring at her wondrously. What was a mermaid to do under the greedy gaze of the Elvenking?

* * *

_So I am debating on whether I want Thranduil to throw him having Pearl in Thorin's face, or if I want Thorin to be clueless about where Pearl is. Cause if Thorin doesn't know he'll think she's dead and he'll be all sad. I do know that I'm gonna have Thranduil lust after Pearl, but not in a sexual way - if that makes sense. She'll be like treasure to him, except that she has a woman's body and therefore she can do things. I don't, however, know how weird I want Thranduil to get with her. Any suggestions?  
_


	22. be all you would want and more and more

_Kaia: Thranduil was basically petting her as we would a dog; cause that's how he sees her, as an animal. It won't really get any creepier than that, I mean he will still touch her cause she's very enchanting and her tail is her best feature. But I don't want to go any further than that. _

_Ari: You're right, I don't think he'd let her out of his sight either - which probably means he'll keep her close at hand when he's sleeping too. Thranduil is such a pompous butt, I love him though. _

* * *

"Where's Pearl?" Thorin asked as he looked at them all. The spiders they had just fought their way away from, due to the immense help of Bilbo, had retreated when the Company had stepped into one of the rings where the elves had been gathered the night before. Thorin had counted all of his friends, even Bilbo, but she was nowhere to be found.

"She was not with you?" Bilbo asked panicking as he searched around him, greatly despaired by the revelation she was not there.

Thorin felt dread slice at his heart. "I put her down to step in the third ring, that was last I saw of her," he said quietly, realizing it was him at fault for losing her.

"But she cannot move, we have to go find her," Bilbo insisted and many of the dwarves voice their agreements.

"Where do you suppose we look?" he asked crossly, quieting all voices with the knowledge they did not know where they were. "She may not be there any longer." As much as he did wish to look for her he knew they would have to leave the ring which was for the moment keeping them safe, leaving it may mean death for them all and he could not allow that – even if it did hurt him.

Bilbo could see Thorin had lost the hope that Pearl would leave this forest alive, something Bilbo had refused to think on. "And if she were?"

"We can't just leave her," Kili insisted.

"She not be dead yet," Fili said in agreement with his brother, trying to give hope back to their uncle.

Thorin sighed, his heart swelling with misery and weighing him down; it was times like these when he was forced to remember why he hadn't let himself feel for another person as he did for Pearl. "Even if she weren't there is no water for her. Even you have to see she will not last much longer," he said to Bilbo, seeing the hurt on the hobbit's face.

"So you will give up on her, you will just let her die? You don't think she would want to be with us if she were to die? You don't think she would want to be with you?" Bilbo knew he was driving a sword further into Thorin's heart, seeing the pain behind the kingly sterness in the dwarf's eyes, but Bilbo would not let her go.

"I think we will stay here and rest, once our strength has been regathered we can decide a plan of action," Thorin said, all of them able to hear that he had given up from the sound of his voice. Thorin sat down wearily, webs still clinging to his hair and clothes, thoughts of Pearl laying in the dark forest unable to fend for herself let alone move running through his mind. His body ached to do something, to kill something trying to hurt her, to hold her, to find her water; anything so long as he could save her.

The rest of the dwarves sat further away from Thorin, not happy with his decision as greatly as Bilbo was, leaving their king in the solitude he desired. Though that turned out to be a mistake, for after they all fell into a deep slumber those who made the ring they were sleeping in returned.

"Where's Thorin?" Dwalin cried when he woke to find Thorin no longer with them.

…

Thorin was yelling curses in Khuzdul as hands shoved him forward, and though not one of the people who were leading him knew what he was saying they were aware that they were being greatly insulted – which only provided Thorin with harder pushes and shoves. He was blindfolded and his hands were tied, leaving him vulnerable and helpless against the elves around him.

The next shove nearly sent him off his feet and he realized the elves were now standing away from him, leaving him to stand before someone. He heard a familiar soft voice, one that made his blood boil at merely the sound and memories it invoked. His hands were freed and the blindfold was ripped off his head, tearing out the hairs that had been knotted in it.

"Welcome Thorin son of Thrain," Thranduil said as he leaned back in his throne.

Thorin glared up at the Elvenking, seeing the disdain that had been on his pale face when he turned his back on Thorin and his kin when they called for aide from Smaug.

Thranduil's pleasant smile dropped at Thorin's silence and irritation flashed in his eyes. His eyes grew darker as Thorin refused to answer any of his questions with more than he and his kin and were starving and thirsty.

Thorin took a great pleasure in watching the elf's face mar with anger, wishing he had his sword so he could drive it through his belly.

"But what brought you into the forest at all?" asked Thranduil angrily, no longer keeping a pleasant facade. His own blood was boiling at the manners of the dwarf, his hands twitching to strike him. Thorin would not answer anymore of his questions and so the Elvenking tried a different means of approach. "Perhaps you and your kin were returning to what once was your home?" Thranduil's smile returned when he saw the refusal in the dwarf's eye, knowing he was right. "Perhaps to retrieve your grandfather's hoard, but not all of it was his. Tell me, what were your plans to defeat the dragon?" Thranduil had always coveted Thror's great hoard, loathed him and his kin for having something greater than he – though that was no longer the case for Thranduil had the greatest treasure of all.

At this Thorin still refused to speak though Thranduil could see the hatred twitch in the dwarf's face.

"You have to know it was hopeless, that you could stand no chance against the dragon. Did you not already learn that?" Thranduil said, feigning reason.

It was the reminder of when he lost his home over a century ago that loosed Thorin's tongue. "Me and my kin faced the dragon's fire, you turned from it like the coward you are," Thorin nearly growled and the next thing he knew the Elvenking was before him.

"Do not speak to me of dragon fire," Thranduil hissed, "I know it's wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the north."

Thorin did no more than glare up at the Elvenking, his jaw clenched to keep the curses from leaving his tongue. They both turned at the sound of footsteps and only Thranduil understood the words that were said.

"Of course," Thranduil said excitedly, "bring her in." Thranduil watched Thorin's face grow slack with shock when he understood, and he smiled an almost cruel smile at the dwarf before turning to the door. There were five ellons carrying the large water cage that had been built to hold his most prized possession for she needed a great deal of water. He was pleased to see she had room to swim, if only a little, and a space at the top to lift her head above of the surface should she have need to. Her having legs when he first saw her was the reason for the cover which snapped into place and was held by four locks.

"Pearl?" Thorin whispered when the large holding cell was placed on the ground, seeing a flash of blue from between the elves who had carried it. Hands grabbed him and pulled him back, restraining him as he threw himself towards the king, curses streaming from his lips. "Release her!" he roared as he struggled to get closer, wishing to tear the smug look off of the Elvenking's face.

"Release her?" Thranduil asked mockingly. "I have saved her. You had left her on the brink of death, she would not have lasted the night."

Thorin stilled at the elf's words, realizing he could do nothing; his own strength failing him from the effects of the spider poison.

"Well I suppose I shall save you the trouble of the dragon," the king said smiling pleasantly. "Until I have answers to all of my questions you shall remain here, and your release will depend upon how well I fancy those answers." He motioned to the elves holding Thorin and he felt them pulling on him, turning him from Pearl's wide eyes as she stared at him. Thorin craned his neck as he tried to see her, hearing her soft voice calling for him, hearing how weak she still was.

He was led far into the caves and then shoved into a cell before the door was shut and locked. Thorin roared as he slammed himself against the door again and again, doing nothing more than hurting himself. Pearl was alive and she would be greatly cared for, having all the water she would need; however Thorin knew Thranduil would never let her go, she would remain in that glass cage until the end of her days being no more than the elf's play thing. At that Thorin resumed throwing himself against the door, though his efforts were wasted as well as his strength and he was no closer to saving Pearl than he had been in the forest.

* * *

_I'm not sure how I feel about Thorin and Thranduil's confrontation, so if I made someone out of character or you believe I should have added something please let me know so I can fix it. That being said, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, it took a while to get what the two would say to each other (which is my take on what will happen in the movie). Thank you all so much for reviewing last chapter and giving me your opinions and ideas, I truly appreciated them.  
_


	23. be proud when you dazzle the wondrous

_Kaia: I think the problem with Thranduil is I made him both like in the book and the movie; which was a mistake because he is portrayed differently in the two. In the book he questioned Thorin extensively to which Thorin only answered they were hungry and thirsty and over time the Elvenking's anger grew. Where as in the movie, it looks as though he'll be easier to anger. So that's where the problem is, I did him more like in the book for part of it and then more like in the movie for another part - which I realize I should have chosen one. Thank you for your comment, sorry about that. _

_So Thranduil gets a little invasive in this chapter, but look at more as scientific; cause he's seen just about everything in his age and she's something entirely new so he wants to know how she works. He will be nicer next chapter, and less creepy. I hope. _

* * *

Thranduil watched as the mermaid hit the sides of the cage that had been built for her, striking it with a vicious strength that wore out quickly. He sighed at how obviously close the two had become, thinking Thorin a fool for loving the mermaid when he should have been keeping her safe.

Pearl sank to the bottom of the strange river, not knowing what she was in, breathing deeply as exhaustion settled around her. After the night she had thought she would never see any of the others again, and then she had seen Thorin, had heard his cries as he tried to get to her; but she had seen it was hopeless. However, that did not stop her from trying to get of out of the water but she could not figure out what was holding her in, it was a strange wall she couldn't see and no matter how hard she hit it she could not get out.

Thranduil sat intrigued as she tapped on the glass, smiling at her curiosity. He was struck by how inhuman she was beneath the surface of the water, how strange she looked, and yet she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever beheld. The flames from the torches flickered beautifully on her fin, a dancing light that he could hardly take his eyes from.

"We are bringing the other dwarves in, my lord," an ellon said.  
Pearl looked up at hearing the strange elvish language, not understanding it but it still being as lovely as when she first heard it in Rivendell.

"Take her to my chambers," Thranduil said and he watched regretfully as she was taken from his sight, her strange fish eyes staring at him in startlement.

Pearl did not like it when they carried her water, she was sloshed around and sometimes they would hit the strange walls and send painful vibrations that would cut through her. With nothing else to do she curled herself at the bottom and covered her head until they had set her down again, a few of them staring hard at her. She laid curled up at the bottom for a long while before the Elvenking returned to her, sending the few he told to guard her away; not missing the interest written on their faces as they left. She stared at him from where she lay, watching him as he was watching her – seeing the wonder alight in his eyes.

Thranduil gazed at her without ever wanting to stop, longing to stare at her for the rest of his days. There were moments when that want would leave him, what he did not notice was that it was when she took her eyes off of him – if he had noticed he would have realized he was falling under an enchantment, one he would soon not be strong enough to break. As it was he simply reveled in staring at her, her blue tail wrapped around her and her arms around her chest.

"Hîr nîn," a voice said as a knock sounded on the door. Thranduil beckoned them in and Pearl felt her stomach clench at the sight of the food on the tray, wondering when the last time she ate was.

Thranduil sat on the edge of his bed with the tray of food at his side, looking to see the mermaid was staring at it hungrily.  
"Do you wish to eat?" he asked in the common tongue, knowing she did not understand his tongue. He smiled endeared at her hesitation, seeing she was far more timid and shy then her ill-choiced friends. He stood after she nodded and undid the locks on the cage's lid before laying it on the floor. He looked down at her in the water, barely being taller than the tank, waiting for her to come to the surface. He sighed before returning to the bed, seeing she needed time to trust he would not hurt her.

He watched her as he ate, seeing she wanted it. And after a long few moments she slowly inched her way to the top of the cage and tentatively brought her head out of the water. He was amazed at how her skin lost its appearance of scales when her head was no longer beneath the surface; looking incredibly human if not for her fin.

He slowly stood, seeing her slip further back into the water at his movement and he held his hands up placatingly. "I will not hurt you," he told her softly, waiting until she moved closer to the edge nearest him. He took small steps towards the cage, soothing her in his elven tongue, seeing she was intrigued by his foreign words. He could see the shyness in her eyes when he reached her, knowing she was close to flinging herself to the bottom to escape him if he moved to soon. "Thorin called you something," he said softly, not trusting that his voice wouldn't startle her. "Is that your name?"

Pearl stared at Thranduil, peeking her head over the side of one of the walls as she looked at him, seeing the friendliness in his eyes. "Pearl," she told him quietly.

He smiled at the sound of her voice, hearing the way her accent lilted over the word. "A lovely name," he said offering her his hand. She stared at it for a few moments before taking it and he helped her out of the water case, holding her small body in his arms as he sat her on the bed. He cared not for his clothes getting wet, or the sheets on his bed; he cared for nothing other than her seeing him as a friend rather than someone who may hurt her.

He sat away from her as she ate, the water dripping off of her tail, looking over every inch of her body. In the water her breasts only retained their shape, her nipples had smoothed out into a scale, and he wondered if she nursed differently or perhaps if she reproduced as fish did. He had so many questions and curiosities, something he knew he could not ask at the moment and so he unhappily held his tongue.

She ate slowly, feeling his eyes crawling over her as though she were a spectacle; which to him she was. She finished her last bite of food and sat patiently looking at him, wondering what she was do now.

"May I?" he asked motioning to her tail and she knew he wanted to touch it. Thorin had been the first land being to ever touch her tail, Thranduil being the second. She thought for a very long while, still seeing the kindness in the elf's eyes and remembering how he hadn't hurt her early when she had been unable move, and so she nodded. His smile was lovely as he stood and moved the tray to the floor, moving her to lay back on the bed. She lay uncertain as he stared down at her laid out, his hands first touching her hair. He pulled her wet hair from her skin and fanned it out behind her head, running his fingers through it.

He wanted to know just how different she was from the women on land, be them dwarf, human, or elf. Her hair was just like any other, though it was more silky and was very beautiful in the light. Her face was too, though there was something about her eyes that was strange; he found that he almost couldn't look away from them if she were looking at his. Her lips too were alluring, they were soft full pillows any man would want to lay kisses on – and though the desire to was very small in him he knew it was much greater for a man or dwarf. The gills on her neck were no longer there, they had disappeared into her skin when she had come out of the water. He inspected her hands next, seeing her rounded nails and her long slender fingers.

Pearl laid still until he reached her breasts, running his thumb over one causing her to shiver, and she tried to twist away.

He hadn't noticed her movement nor her discomfort, he was much too fascinated to care._ They are not for feeding_, he thought as he looked at the now raised nipple. _Perhaps they are only for appearance_. He then moved down her stomach, seeing her navel which looked much like any, and then he came to where her tail began. He ran his hands along her hips, touching both the skin above and the scales, wondering if perhaps they were separated evenly though he found that they weren't. He then moved further, seeing the slight indentation of where her legs would separate down the middle of her tail. He paused at a strange mass of scales that looked much too soft. He ran his hands along it wondering if it were perhaps a scar and his fingers stilled when it separated to reveal dark pink flesh and it took him a moment before he realized what it was.

Pearl felt her breathing deepen and her heart race when she felt what he had found, not liking that he had in the slightest. The muscles ached and searched for a mate and she felt tears spring to her eyes.

If she had legs at the moment the tender flesh would have been where her womanhood was, which is what Thranduil had realized. _She bares children in the manner we do, but if her breasts do not nourish them then what does?_ he wondered as he moved lower on her tail, seeing its width grow smaller the further he went until it separated into two fins. It was past where her knees should have been when the shape no longer looked like legs, it being too small to amass to one calf let alone two.

He had many more questions from all he had discovered though he had arrived at a few conclusions. It was not until he looked back to her face to see her watery eyes that he realized had upset her. She scooted away from him when he tried to come closer. "Forgive me," he told her quietly, realizing how indecent he had been as he had made his discoveries. She stared at him untrusting for a long while to which he stood patiently waiting for her trust to grow. He grew concerned when her eyes widened and he followed her gaze to her tail to watch as it melted into legs.

Pearl drew her legs to her chest as she moved further away from him, knowing how vulnerable she was now that she looked completely human; though as an elf she had little to concern herself with, even if the elf lusted for treasure as strongly as Thranduil did. She thought herself foolish to have trusted him, seeing he thought no more of her than he would any commodity.

"Would you like to go back in the water?" he offered motioning to the glass cage.

In truth she did not, she did not like the strange walls she couldn't see, but she felt safer from him when she was surrounded by them. She cowered away from the hand he offered and she heard him sigh before he turned his back on her and faced toward the door. She hesitated only a moment before climbing off of the bed and back into the water, not giving his eyes a chance to find her.

Thranduil realized he had destroyed the small trust he had earned, and realized it would take time for it to grow again when he looked towards her cage to see her curled on the bottom with her back towards him.


	24. glitter your eyes for the town

_Kaia: I would like to thank you very much for your idea, I really loved getting it. I incorporated it in this chapter, however it's a little different than your idea and I hope you'll see why I did it like I did - and that you enjoy it. _

_Ari: I think you're right, Thorin would just about explode if he found out. There isn't much he can do to regain her trust, I'm thinking she's the kind of animal that trusts you until you do something to lose it and then that's it. I hope you enjoy this chapter. _

* * *

Pearl didn't know how long she had stayed curled up at the bottom of the water, her head hiding in her hands. She did not know if it had been hours or days or weeks or years – she had never understood the passing of time only the passing of days, but she could not see the sun rise and fall and so she did not know – all she knew was that she was hungry and incredibly bored. She could feel when the elf king was in the room for his eyes weighed on her heavily, and there were times when he tried to speak with her.

She berated herself for her foolishness, for her stupidity. Gandalf had warned her the Elvenking loved treasure more than anything else on Middle Earth, and that he would see her as the greatest treasure. Even Thorin had told her of Thranduil's coveting his grandfather's hoard, as well of him abandoning the dwarves when they most needed it. Pearl laid miserably as she chastised herself, knowing she never should have trusted the elf; it being idiotic of her to have believed he had saved her from death when it was so obvious he had captured her. Thorin had told her she was too trusting, that there were far more people who would do her harm and that it would do her well to mistrust all she met – and she realized, still feeling Thranduil's hands in places he should not have touched, that Thorin was right.

She missed him, the feel of him as he held her - having never had anyone hold her in their arms before. She missed his mouth, the pleasant deep voice that came from it as well as the feel of his lips on her own. She hadn't liked how his beard scratched her skin at first but she realized then that she had come to miss it too. And then there were his eyes, his dark serious eyes that showed all his anger and sadness if one knew how to see it.

She heard the locks click as the top was taken off, and she looked out of the corner of her eye to see the Elvenking's pale hair as he put something in the water. She turned her head when she saw what he had placed in the water, seeing his hands as he released another. The two fish, both striped black and white, swam towards before pressing little kisses on her skin.

It had been seven days since since Thranduil had touched her, and as an elf he knew the passing of time very well. He had tried apologizing, offering her food, simply sitting and giving her time but she wouldn't move. He had gotten the idea when he saw her tail flick in the water, realizing she was restless and most likely bored. He ordered a few fish to be taken from the river and brought to him, and he was pleased to see her smile as the creatures greeted her. He had been right in assuming that she and the fish would be happy together and he smiled as the fish burrowed in her hair.

In the days that passed she would sit up and play with the fish, swimming in the small space. Thranduil was able to coax her into eating some food, slipping a few vegetables into the water, and eventually she would eat food on the surface; she would go nowhere near him, diving to the bottom when he would come too close. He could see her trust would not be won so easily, and he wondered if she knew what forgiveness was.

He left her as he always did when he feasted with his kin, wine having come in, unhappy to have her out of his sight – the fear that someone would steal her from him strong in his heart – and so he set two of his most trusted guards outside his room to keep anyone from entering.

It was to keep her safe, however, that meant very little when there was someone else already in the room.

Pearl jumped when she felt the vibrations of a tap on what Thranduil had said was glass. She looked quickly around, knowing the Elvenking had left, but she could not see anyone. She cowered in a corner when she felt another tap and then she gasped when Bilbo suddenly appeared.

"Bilbo Baggins," she said happily, relief nearly flooring her.

"Pearl," Bilbo said smiling, having been in the room for most of the afternoon.  
"How did you find me?"

"I heard the prince speaking of his father's new treasure, I could only hope it was you," he said, having feared she had died in the forest when the others had been captured. "I had looked in many rooms before I thought that he would probably keep you with him," Bilbo admitted, it having been a long few days of searching before he thought of her being in the king's chambers.

"I am glad you did, I missed you," she said pressing against the glass to seek him out.

"I have to get you out of here," Bilbo said reaching for the locks, his fingertips as he stretched coming nowhere near them.

"I saw Thorin, is he well? Are the others well? Where did the Elvenking put them?" she asked as she swam to the top and pushed at the lid. After several long minutes of her trying to push the lid off, and Bilbo trying to find a way to reach the locks they stopped defeated. Bilbo answered her questions as such; yes, yes, and in separate cells.

"I suppose I could break it, but I don't see how I could without alerting the guards outside," Bilbo mused as he looked around him.

"You can break glass?" Pearl asked and Bilbo nodded as he looked around.

In the end he found nothing. "I suppose I could use my sword," he said at a loss for what else to do. The cage was too heavy to move and he could not move the bed either. "I will have to break it the first time, that's all it would take for the guards to rush in."  
"Gather water for the fish," Pearl said seriously and Bilbo noticed for the first time the two fish hiding in her hair.

"Alright, are you ready?" he asked as he took his sword out.

Pearl nodded before pressing against the opposite side of the cage and Bilbo readied himself to break her out. She let out such a high pitched screech when his sword struck the glass that Bilbo dropped his sword and pressed his hands over his ears. When her scream of pain stopped vibrating on the stone walls Bilbo looked to see her on the bottom of the cage with her hands over her own ears.

Pearl felt her bones rattling beneath her skin from the horrible vibrations his sword had sent through the cage. When she was able to move again she looked up to see two elves in the room but Bilbo had disappeared and she wondered where he had hid. She sat up to look at them and saw a large crack in the glass in a place Bilbo had not struck, and she wondered if she had done that.

The elves dropped to the floor in pain when she screamed again, this time louder and higher, and she moved with the water as it burst from the cage. She slid on the wet ground, seeing the fish flopping terrified and she grabbed the nearest thing that would hold water before putting them in it, seeing the bowl was much too small for them though they were alive.

"Grab her!" one of the elves yelled as the other struggled to his feet. "And cover her mouth."

She stared up at the elf approaching her, seeing fury in his eyes, and without a second thought she began to sing.

_If you can't sleep, I'll be there in your dreams  
I'll be there in your dreams If you can't sleep at all  
And in your dreams, I'll touch your cheek  
And lay my head on your shoulder_

"Thank goodness that worked," Bilbo said when he took the ring off, seeing that her enchanting song had no effect on him when he wore it. The two elves had smiled sleepily at the sound of her voice and had wilted to the ground and fallen fast asleep.

"Where did you go?" Pearl asked astounded that he had appeared out of thin air rather than hiding somewhere as she had thought.  
"No time now, everyone else is feasting in the forest so they may not have heard, but we must get the others before it is too late," Bilbo said before grabbing a sheet and wrapping it around her. Before long, after her hair was tied up, he had dried her off completely and her tail had reformed into legs and they were on their way to rescuing the others.

* * *

_The song I used is If You Can't Sleep by She & Him. _


	25. tell every last boy that you're my man

_Ari: I've been waiting for it too, since about the fourth chapter. I'm very glad you liked how I did her treating Thranduil, and she is growing; slowly, but she's growing and losing some of that innocence._

* * *

Bilbo poked his head out of the door and listened as hard he could for any sign that elves were coming to see to Pearl; he crept forward when he heard none and then reached back and grabbed Pearl's elbow and led her along the caves he had come to know very well. Pearl tiptoed along holding the bowl she had put the fish in, hearing that they were not happy in the small space with only a little bit of water and that they were afraid. She stopped behind Bilbo, looking over her shoulder to see if there was anyone coming while he unlocked the cell.

"By Durin's beard," Balin said joyously at stepping out of his cell to see Bilbo. "Pearl?" he asked astounded, having thought she was dead – Thranduil had not told the others she was alive, nor did Bilbo know where she was the day before and if she was the treasure the prince had referred to so he had not mentioned it. Balin smiled kindly at their mermaid before hugging her without a second thought, smiling when he looked down at the two fish in the bowl. "How are we to escape?" Balin asked turning to their burglar.  
"No time for that now, we have to collect the others. All of us must escape or none, and this is our last chance," Bilbo said urgently before grabbing Pearl's arm and leading the two on. They collected the others and each one greeted Pearl with the same happiness at seeing her alive, all having despairingly thought she was dead in the forest. They came to the last of the cells, which was deepest in the caves, and the only member of the Company to know Pearl was alive.

"Upon my word," Thorin exclaimed when Bilbo told him to come out and join his friends. Thorin smiled at the hobbit, the second time the dwarf king had done so, before his eyes found Pearl.

Thorin's jaw slackened when he saw her before him, having spent the two weeks imagining all the things Thranduil was doing to her; one cruel thought being he cut her in half to further inspect her. But there she was, not in a cage, her smile so lovely he wanted to kiss her – though as a king he refused to let him give in to his desires in front of others. Though that proved incredibly difficult when he noticed the bowl in her hands and then that she was not wearing clothes.  
"Mahal," he muttered when he saw her breasts, which were not covered by her hair for her wet hair was tied up. He refused to let his eyes trail lower, though they greatly wanted to, and it was almost painful for him to bring his eyes back to her face.

Many of the dwarves who saw his reaction hid their smiles, all of them had taken note of her state almost immediately after seeing her but none of them had anything to cover her with besides the shirts on their backs which Pearl had refused.

Thorin tried to shake himself of how he was feeling as he looked to Bilbo. "What comes next?"

Bilbo saw that the time had come to explain his idea of riding inside the empty barrels the elves used to receive goods; upon hearing his plan there were many cries of "what" and "you can't be serious" in spite of their danger.

"We shall be bruised and battered to pieces," said Ori.

"And drowned too, for certain!" said Dori.

Bifur said something in Khuzdul that Bilbo did not understand but the hobbit knew it was not pleasant nor was it kind.

"We thought you had got sensible notion, when you managed to get hold of the keys. This is a mad idea!" said Gloin and many voiced their agreement.

"Do you have any other idea?" Bilbo demanded irritably. "You can go back to your nice cells and I will lock you all in again and you can think of a better plan – but I don't suppose I shall ever get hold of the keys again, even if I feel inclined to try. Besides Pearl's own glass cell was shattered to pieces, and I don't believe the Elvenking will treat her with anymore kindness."

Pearl could hear the anger in Bilbo's voice and she greatly hoped he did not actually plan to take them all back. The dwarves too realized they had no other option and were quick to apologize and to offer themselves forever at his service. And so they followed after Bilbo, Thorin tried to keep his eyes from straying down Pearl's back – seeing the lovely muscles in her shoulders move with each step. His eyes did stray though, a few times actually, and he discovered that every part of her was beautifully perfect.

Thorin was almost relieved when they reached the river, hoping to have her bare body out of his sight so he could breathe normally again. It was not many moments longer before he lowered Pearl into the water where she handed him the now empty bowl, and then she dove under the water and left the caves as Bilbo had instructed her to.

She waited outside of the mouth of the cave, feeling the sun warm on her skin though the air was cold, her two fish swimming happily around her as they chased each other – she had taken to calling them Fili and Kili for they reminder her of the dwarves' playfulness. Fili had yellow around his mouth, while Kili had yellow on his tail. She felt when the first few barrels were pushed into the water and hoped the dwarves were inside. She did not have to wait for long for the first barrels flowed on the current out of the caves, and she saw first Dwalin's head and then Thorin's followed by his nephews and the others.

Bombur's barrel tilted and tipped into the water from the weight of him and Pearl pushed it back upright and he continued on down the river. She did this several times for many of the dwarves as they came upon rapids. They traveled for a long while, often times many of them caught glimpses of Pearl as she swam near, though she seemed to be the color of the water and they usually lost sight of her, though they often saw one of the two fish as they swam after her. They came upon a shallow point in the river and Pearl steered the barrels towards the bank so they could get out.

She held Fili's barrel as he climbed out, his sides tender from the many times he had hit them on the rougher waters. Fili then in turn helped his brother. Thorin saw Pearl's dark head as she held his barrel and he returned her smile though his was much smaller. He looked after her confused when she slipped beneath the surface of the river, amazed at how easily she blended in with the water. He heard what she had seen and he turned to see several armed men coming towards them.

"Who are you and what do you want?" one of them asked, the points of all of their swords aimed at the dwarves.

Pearl stayed in the water, hearing the small bubble chatter of the fish as they wondered what was happening. Pearl didn't know though, she did not why those men were pointing their swords at them nor why the dwarves were gathered out of their barrels.

"There are taking us to the town further north, go there and stay hidden I will come for you," Thorin whispered before he climbed out of his barrel. Pearl watched as he left, wishing she could say something in return as he looked back at her; once again she was left until Thorin was to get her, and yet again Thorin was to leave her.

* * *

_In case anyone cared the fish on the top of the story picture would be Kili and the one on the bottom is Fili.  
_


	26. I'll try not to let you down

_Ari: I'm glad you liked that I had her name them Fili and Kili, I have a lot of fun writing them. I've been waiting to give her aquatic friends ever since the bird. Well, men are very easily influenced and enchanted so it would probably be a bad thing for them to lay eyes on her. And when Thorin gets her back he's gonna be a bit more possessive of her, or at least of who comes near her. But thank you very much, I sometimes get so inspired I'll write another chapter and then I'll have another one done. So right now I have about two chapters under my belt, I just wait til the next day to post them.  
_

_Kaia: thank you very much, I'm glad you're liking it. I loved your idea. She definitely is growing up or at least becoming more wise, and in the chapters that follow that includes sexually as well - which I'm very excited to get to. She's won't be so innocent anymore. Btw, I really liked Ocean Princess it had a great mystical feel to it. Thank you for sharing. I couldn't get the link to work though. _

* * *

Pearl swam slowly as she reached the town, wondering where Thorin and Bilbo and the others were. Her kili and fili fish swam along between the strands of her hair as they chattered happy to no longer be in the cage. In the end she settled on the bottom of the river and waited, drifting in and out of sleep, the sun moving lower on the horizon before it sank beneath the earth.

Thorin had swelled with pride at the town's receival of him as King under the Mountain, and he and his company walked to the house that was prepared for them surrounded by many people as they sang and cheered. Many of the Company went straight to a bed and fell asleep though a few stayed up and talked happily, and even fewer more asked Thorin about Pearl. In truth he wanted to get her then but half the town it seemed stood outside the house. He could do no more than sigh and shake his head saying it must wait, until finally he too retreated to his bed – and being the king he was granted his own room – and fell into a fitful slumber.

He woke knowing he would have to wait til the sun set before he could retrieve Pearl from the river. He had been so close to having her back, after spending so many days remembering her soft voice as she called for him from behind the glass, so many days he let himself yearn to hold her again. It was in those moments, those few moments he let his mind wander to things other than kissing her that he recalled the sound of her voice.

Pearl shrank down on the floor of the river when she saw a man standing near, his feet only inches from her as he held a strange stick with a string on it. She watched as a fish swam towards where the man threw the string and ate the worm that was on it, and then the fish was gone. Pearl slowly moved and gathered fili and kili and held them against her as she inched further away, the man looking more at the fish on his string than near her.

She was relieved when he left, having caught five more fish, and she released fili and kili and they swam into her hair where they stayed for the remainder of the day. She sighed discontentedly when the sun fell once more and the water grew colder with the change of the season. She curled her tail around her to find warmth for her and her fish, until she saw Thorin come to stand on the water's edge.

Thorin had been joyously relieved to see that the townspeople were not all outside of the house and he waited even longer before he left for the river, holding a thick blanket in his hand and looking about for any sign of another person. He placed the blanket on the bank and walked closer to the water to see if he could find her though he saw nothing. It wasn't until she raised her head out of the water that he realized how close she had been.

Pearl did not care if anyone saw, she did not care for fili and kili's bubbling pleads for her to stay; seeing the look on Thorin's face when he saw her struck something warm in her heart and caused something to flutter in her belly. "You came," she said softly.

"I could never leave you," he admitted even softer, it was something he had realized when he had been in his cell. He held his hand out for her and pulled her to him as he took her in his arms, moving quickly to wrap her in the blanket. She was shaking only slightly as he rubbed his hands along her body to warm her, his hands stilling the moment his eyes found hers. Her fingers were cold when they touched his cheek, but that touch was all he needed to move.

Thorin had only ever been shy when he kissed her, his lips light upon her own, his tongue tentative; there was nothing light about this kiss, it was rough and almost desperate. She felt a sound rise to her throat and even though it was muffled beneath Thorin's tongue she knew it was a small moan. She made another one when his mouth trailed down to her neck, taking the skin between his teeth and gently sucking. He kissed her lips a few more times before pulling away, seeing her flushed face and her chest rising and falling rapidly much like his was.

"You are well?" he asked, realizing he knew nothing of what had happened in Mirkwood – the last time he had held her she had been dying.

"Yes," she said breathlessly, her hands still on his face.

"He did not hurt you," Thorin said needing her assurance.

Pearl was quiet a long few moments, her hands coming to rest on his chest as she leaned into him, and Thorin wondered if perhaps the Elvenking had in fact hurt her. "No," she whispered, knowing from Thorin's previous hatred of Thranduil that her telling him would do nothing but ignite it.

"That is not the truth," he whispered and he was proven right when she laid her head in the crook of his neck. He held her for a few moments, his blood burning with lividity, before he picked her up and carried her back to the house.

His anger was forgotten for the time being when he placed her in the bed and he knew if she had already dried off he might not have resisted her, as it was he took her wet blanket, his eyes roaming over her body, before handing her another and climbing in beside her. He nearly sighed in relief when he felt her head on his chest, having missed the weight of her as he slept. Even more had he missed was waking up to her lovely face, and in their last moments of solitary peace he kissed her again.

…

What Thorin had not noticed, for he had been too lost in getting to Pearl, was the dark haired man sitting on his porch in the night, his gravely serious face watching the dwarf king as he went to the river. To say Bard had been surprised to see the woman's head and then a tail as Thorin took her out of the water did not do the emotion justice; he was baffled and shocked and appalled. Bard's first thought was that the mermaid put the dwarf under a spell, at least until he kissed her – it wasn't so much the kiss as it was the intensity, for Bard realized then that the two knew each other. It was not until the dwarf carried the woman away towards the home that had been given to them until Bard understood; Thorin was not under a spell, he was in love.


	27. til the siren come

_Ari: I'm glad I'm not the only one to like Bard, I can't wait to see him in the movie (besides the actor being good looking) Him and Pearl will have a small moment later, possibly next chapter, and I'm excited for it. I'm glad you're liking the way her and Thorin's relationship is growing and how it correlates to her own growth. Her sexual growth has a lot to do with Thranduil and what all happened with him, which I never fully explained, and it's almost hinted at in the next chapter. _

_Kaia: I have a plan for her and Bard don't worry. _

* * *

"What is it?" Fili asked when he saw his brother's surprised face when Kili came back into the room they had taken; only having left it a few minutes before.

Surprise was not a strong enough word for what Kili was feeling, shock was a better word, or even astonishment. "Uncle," Kili answered quietly as he sat on the bed.

"Did something happen to him?" Fili asked growing concerned.

Kili tried to open his mouth and speak but all he could see was the was the perfectly round shape of Pearl's breasts as his uncle ran his hands down her sides; how Thorin had not taken them in his hands or laid kisses upon them Kili could not understand.

Fili, who by now was incredibly worried thinking something ill had befallen their uncle, left the room and made for Thorin's. Fili was as bewildered as Kili had been, if only for a moment. Their uncle was too busy with Pearl's mouth to take much notice of anything else, his hands too busy with her lovely skin to find her chest. Pearl herself was too enraptured in Thorin to do anything more than run her hands through his long hair.

Fili retreated to his and his brother's room, sitting numbly on his bed much like his brother. "Did you see?" Kili asked, thoughts churning in his head.

"Uncle doesn't do that," Fili said in shock, and it was true for Thorin had not even so much as a touched a whore since they were born.

"Do you think he loves her?" Kili asked, greatly wishing he could unsee what he had; the image of his uncle desiring anyone was almost too much for him.

"What else could it be?" Fili asked, his mind almost burning from that he could not stop imagining it.

…

"You need a new dress," Thorin mused after he had gotten dressed. He smiled when Pearl looked down at herself and sighed, knowing she found clothes to be more of a hindrance.

"I could just stay here, only you would see me like this," Pearl said with a small smile, almost shy.

Thorin could do no more than swallow at the thought, and though there was nothing more he wanted than to lay back down with her and run his hands over her warm skin he knew the others wanted to see her as well. "I am afraid our burglar would not be pleased."

"Will you never call him by name?" she asked, wishing Thorin to see how important Bilbo was to his Company. "He did help us escape, he could have left us and returned home."

Thorin sighed and nodded, wrapping one of her loose curls around his finger. "He saved us from the spiders as well," he admitted, knowing very well how valued Bilbo was – never having been so happy to be wrong about someone as he was the halfling.

"Spiders?" Pearl asked confused. And so Thorin explained, for even if the elves had not found her before the spiders had taken them she would not have remembered due to her ill state. "That sounds awful," she said as she imagined the creatures he had described.

Thorin's jaw dropped slightly when Pearl stood, the covers falling away from her. Her skin was sun-kissed and smooth, her hips curved seductively, her legs thin and long compared to those of a dwarf's. He realized, having not averted his eyes soon enough, that she only had hair on her head; and he saw the dark pink petals of her womanhood sending his heart into a frantic beat. He felt something stirring in his groin and he turned from her before she could see.

"I will get the, the," he stuttered as he made for the door. She was truly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "Your dress," he continued knowing he was making little sense. "Tailor," he said before leaving the room, closing the door behind him without looking at her; knowing if he did he would not leave her.

He brought the woman back to the house and took her to his room to see Pearl sitting with a sheet wrapped around her and Bilbo sitting beside her. Thorin cleared his throat to capture Bilbo's attention and the hobbit quickly left the room under Thorin's hard gaze.

"Alright deary, I need to measure you," the woman said as she took the sheet from Pearl. "Oh my," she breathed when she saw Pearl's bare body. Thorin was almost happy to see he was not the only person effected as such by the sight of Pearl's skin, but he cleared his throat unhappily once more when the woman stared for too long.

In the end the woman had recorded Pearl's size, remarking on how small she was, and had left to make her a dress. Pearl had continued to stay in the room wrapped in a sheet, at night she would wear Thorin's shirt upon his request and she would lay her head on his chest.

If her skin was warm his was burning. She was nearly scorched when he would touch her, when he kissed her. At first he had run his hands over her breasts and felt them through his shirt, making both their cheeks redden, though after a few moments his hands would run down over her legs; she had moaned beneath his mouth unintentionally when she felt his thumb on the inside of her thigh, and he had seen the uncertainty in her eyes when he pulled away but he had also seen the desire.

She missed the feel of his skin after her dress was made, for he wore his shirt to bed since she no longer needed it. She did enjoy being able to move about the house and the others were most pleased to greet her since Thorin had forbidden them to see her until her dress was made. Thorin refused to let her leave the house though, not chancing anyone responding to her as the tailor woman had and then the entire town becoming enchanted with her.

He did let her leave at night though when there were no eyes to find her, and she had only left once and that was to gather her fish from the river.

"Would you get them for me?" she asked holding out the bowl to Thorin.

He looked from the fish to her with a raised brow before taking the bowl and scooping them up.

"That one I named fili," she said pointing to the one with yellow around its mouth, "and that one kili," she said pointing to the one with a yellow tail.

Thorin stared down at the two fish trying not to smile as he thought of his nephews and he shook his head as he handed the bowl to Pearl. They returned to the home and she filled the tub with water before releasing the fish and they swam around happily in circles; Thorin then understood why she had named them after his nephews.

"Will you stay with them tonight?" he asked from behind her as she stared smiling into the tub.

"Do you want me to stay with them?" she asked looking up at him, hearing that he didn't but she wanted him to say it.

"No," he told her shaking his head before pulling her into a kiss. "Why are you smiling?" he mumbled against her lips.

"They want to know what we're doing," she told him and he pulled away confused. His brows rose in surprised amusement when he understood she was talking about the fish and he smiled before kissing her again.

Their days went on much the same, Thorin would venture into the town looking very much like a king in the clothes that had been made for him and the people praised and cheered him and the others voraciously each time a dwarf was seen. Pearl would spend her days laying in the tub with her fili and kili fish and more often than not Bilbo would be with her.

At night Thorin would dry Pearl's tail before they went to bed, the thought that their sharing a bed was strange and inappropriate never crossed his mind. The more nights that passed the more Thorin's courage grew and Pearl grew to love the weight of him on top of her as they kissed. A few times she had felt his desire against her hip before he rolled off of her, and it did something to her heart to feel his passion for her as well as feeling her own for him.

They stayed in the Lake-town for a fortnight, and on their last night in the town Thorin took her back to the river. "You will travel with us as we go by boat but do not let the men see you," he told her before taking her dress. He sighed at the sight of her flesh in the moonlight, wanting nothing more than to taste every inch of her.

"You should spend your last night in a bed," she said softly before putting fili and kili back in the river, seeing when she turned around that Thorin's eyes were on her round bottom.

"I would rather spend it with you," he admitted without care, his tongue having grown looser with the passing days he spent with her.

Pearl smiled at his words and the truth she heard in his voice. "You could always join me," she offered as she stepped closer, his hands wrapping around her back to pull her to him. There was something about her bare skin pressed against him that set his heart to racing, and he truly wanted nothing more than to strip his clothes and join her in the river no matter the cold. He didn't though for there were still a few of the Company still awake and they were waiting for his return before they would retire. And so he reluctantly stepped away from her, his arms chilled as he unwound them and were now empty.

She stepped towards the river, yearning for him to join her, feeling an ache between her legs at how much she wanted him to; but she knew he couldn't yet and so she dove into the water. She let the cold envelope her and steal away the foreign desire that Thorin had planted within her, making her more human than she ever had been.

* * *

_So I realized two things while writing this chapter; one, that their relationship is moving much faster than it had been and I would like to explain why I think I did that. As a mermaid Thorin's under her spell so he's to the point where he almost can't help himself; and Pearl is bespelled by him as well but that has more to do with her humanity. The second thing I noticed was that Pearl has become more sexually aware, and though it isn't said it's because of Thranduil; you could say his inspecting her had awakened a part of her she hadn't known about. _

_Also, I am thinking of having her and Thorin "doing it" but I don't want to change the rating of the story and I know that some people aren't into that. So if you are interested in reading it, and it would be smut, then let me know and I'll make a new story (only one chapter) and put the title of it up in the next chapter._


	28. calling, calling

_Ari: thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I just love making Thorin blush and making him uncomfortable, it's just too great to imagine. I'm happy to hear you think their relationship has progressed in a not wtf way, when I reread the last few chapters I had gotten worried. Her meeting with Bard happens next chapter and I'm excited for it (still, realize I said this already)._

_Kaia: thank you very much, I did go for it._

* * *

Thorin slept restlessly in the empty bed, no longer used to sleeping without Pearl beside him. He woke unrested and anxious at continuing on the last leg of their journey before the dragon. He felt a small sense of calm wash over him at the sight of Pearl's blue tail as they rowed along the river. Thorin was not the only one watching the water closely for a glance of the mermaid; Bard as well tried to catch sight of her as he rowed the Company with the other lakemen. He had noticed the dark blue material in Thorin's bundle, the same color as the mermaid's tail. It was the ache of his wife's absence that stilled his tongue; for Bard knew what it meant to love a woman and he also knew what it meant to lose her, and so Bard kept the Company's secret.

Pearl swam along near the boats, knowing as they rowed with the current they could not see her beneath the surface unless they knew what to look for. Though her swimming was slower upstream she hardly grew tired at the pace in which the men were able to row.

...

"My offer still stands," Pearl said with a smile when Thorin sat on the river's edge after the others had fallen asleep.

Thorin returned her smile as he looked at where she held herself up on a rock only inches from him. "It is cold," he told her, trying to fight the desire to tear his clothes off and join her; thoughts he knew were entirely unkingly. He instead leaned forward aiming to kiss her only for her to move away.

"I will not kiss you until you come in," she said answering his questioning look. She knew he wanted to, she could see it plain in his eyes.

"Is that so?" he asked amused and surprised; she was not the same woman she had been when they had entered Mirkwood, she knew what he was feeling and he was now learning that she felt the same. But what surprised him the most was that she knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it.

"I know you want to." There was no doubt in her voice or in her mind about that; there was no doubt at all, not even for how much she wished him to join her.

"That I do," he agreed softly as he stared at her, her eyes big and blue in the moonlight.

"But you won't," she said before lowering herself into the water, the wind chilling her wet skin. "Goodnight," she whispered before diving to the bottom to sleep, fili and kili burrowed in her hair beneath her chin.

He didn't join her the next night either though he did manage to steal a kiss, which he almost had to force himself to get up and walk back to the camp they had made before he did slip into the river. It was on the third night that he did, when they reached where the ponies and provisions were and the men from the Lake-town left them - "I had more stores supplied for her," Bard had told him quietly before leaving – when their spirits had sunk to their lowest did Thorin join her.

Pearl could see the hope that had bloomed in him at the praise from the town withering inside him when he came to her that night. And so she did the only thing she could think of; she crawled out of the river to where he lay on the bank looking up at the stars.

Her hands were wet and cold on his face, but they soothed the burning worry that boiled in his blood. "You will get cold," he said softly, the nights more chill now that winter was on its way.

"Join me," she said in return, an offer he was not in a state to refuse though he tried. He opened his mouth to decline, his desire burning, but she did not give him the chance. "Spend this night with me." He did not know if she knew entirely what that request promised or how it stirred him. But with her eyes staring at him filled with yearning and her fingers on his face, how could he possibly refuse?

Pearl could do no more than watch as he pulled his shirt off, seeing the thick dark hair on his chest she liked to run her fingers through. She released a breath when he carelessly did away with his trousers, having never imagined he would amount to that; that she would want him so much. Over the days she had spent in her glass cage she had come to learn lust, she had seen with what a man mated – had been as disgusted as she was intrigued; but it being Thorin now made all the difference.

He barely felt the frigidness of the water on his skin as he carried her in, his skin was too aflame with desire. They swam, often times stopping as they ran their hands along their bodies and their mouths molded together, until they had gone a distance away from the camp where they would not be heard; Thorin had stripped himself of being king, he had removed his duties and his honor, his sense. All that was left was her, and in that moment he needed nothing else.

...

"We will journey to the Mountain where the dragon lay," Thorin said as he sat shivering in his clothes, his wet body having dampened them.

Pearl looked at him confused for a moment until she understood. "I will stay here."

"I will not see harm befall you," he said voraciously as he turned to her, not wanting to spend anymore nights without the warmth of her against him though he knew he must.

She smiled in understanding before leaning against him. "You keep leaving me," she said softly.

"This will be the last time," he swore. "We will go to the Mountain, we will defeat the dragon and reclaim our homeland," he said boldly, no doubt at that moment – with the taste of the sea still on his tongue – that his Company of fourteen could do just that.

"And then what?" she asked, Thorin had never spoken of what was to happen after.

"And then you will come back to me and I will never ask you to leave again," he promised and sealed it with a kiss. "You will be my queen," he said wondrously as he imagined it.

"How will I do that?" she asked not understanding though she greatly liked the happiness in his voice when he spoke of it.

"I will call for you when the dragon is no more and you will return to me. I will explain to you marriage and what it means that I am a king. And you and I will rule Erebor, I will laden you with gold and jewels and I will love you. We will live all our days in happiness and peace," he told her, her eyes wide with amazed awe as she listened to him, as she realized how she wanted all of that if not just to be with him.

"You will love me," she said in wonder knowing what those words meant.  
"I already do," he admitted as he ran his hands through her hair. "You should go before you get cold."

"I already am," she told him though it was not just the wind that left her chilled. She left him with a kiss, one that stole their breath, before returning to the water. The rest of the Company rose a few hours later and she bid them all farewell before they left for the Mountain.

It was hardly a week later when a massive form flew over the river, startling Pearl and making her cower against the floor of the river with fili and kili hiding in her arms, making his way to Lake-town. And it was not long after that when Pearl swam as fast she could towards the town when she felt the turmoil of chaos ablaze.

* * *

_So the one shot chapter is called til the siren come calling. As a mermaid it turns out Pearl did not understand that women can feel pleasure too, so it kind of explored that. It didn't happen quite as I wanted or expected it to so I hope you all do end up enjoying it. And for those of you who are not into smut I made sure that there was nothing of importance to the story that you would miss if you didn't want to read it.  
_


	29. it's driving me

_Ari: Thank you very much. I liked writing Bard, I didn't write him as much as I thought I would but I did have them meet. I can't wait to write it, and she's gonna know something's wrong with him she just won't know what to do - and he's kind of seen her as a treasure the whole time. But it's becoming very clear that he's getting possessive. _

_Kaia: Thank you. I've been trying to find a place where she would talk about what happened in Mirkwood with him but I haven't found one where I thought it really fit. I'm thinking maybe after Thorin's got the dragon sickness and he sees the elves outside of the Mountain he'll force it out of her - but I'll have to write it to see if I like it there. _

* * *

The people of the Lake-town, and later the people of Dale, would look back on that night for years and years to come and tell stories of the small hands that lifted them to the surface – the hands that saved the lives of children who had fallen in the water and of the men too laden with armor to stay afloat.

But there was one man who knew the truth, though he never told it, who saw what had saved them.

Bard had taken the word of the thrush and aimed his last black arrow at the hollow of Smaug's left breast felling the dragon and destroying the town, and he barely dove into the river before he too was crushed. Debris from the ruined town sank around him as he tried to swim to the surface, no air in his lungs, thick smoke filled his nose when he finally did and he spluttered unable to breathe. There was nothing left but to swim away, his chest burning and the world darkening. He knew the moment he felt the arms around his waist who was saving him, but it was not until he gasped breathing clean air and seeing her face that he truly realized it.

"Are you alright?" she asked in a strangely beautiful accented voice. Her face was lovely in the moonlight, the same face that looked on the dwarf king with such love and trust when she was pulled out of the river.

"Yes," he coughed as he crawled onto the bank and sat looking at her. "Why are you not with them?" he asked thinking Thorin would not have wanted her to leave his side – Bard knew he himself wouldn't, not if it were him she kissed that way.

Pearl stared at the man, realizing he had known what she was for a length of time. "Thorin feared for my safety," she said finally, not wanting to risk foolishly trusting another who would hurt her; though in all honesty she did not think the man would.

Bard nodded in understanding, wondering if the dwarves had met their end already for why else would the dragon have left the Mountain. He sadly stood and bid her farewell, knowing they must have for what was a group of thirteen dwarves and hobbit against a beast such as Smaug, when really their greatest weapon had been told to stay behind.

…

That was a thought Thorin had found himself wondering over the week they searched for the door, there was no plan for how to defeat the dragon – in all honesty he had never believed he would come so far – but they were so close now. Pearl had told him of the dragons she had seen, of how they loved more than treasure to hear a mermaid song, of many of her friends dying from being ensnared by a foul creature.

He remembered the feel of her beside her, of her atop him and of her beneath him, he remembered the sound of her heart and the whisper of her breath. He ached for her in such a way it hurt him, he was tired of continuing on without her, he just wanted her to stay with him.

"She is safe, you needn't worry," Dwalin told him as his most trusted friend besides his brother, Balin, sat beside him.

"That isn't what concerns me," Thorin admitted quietly.

"Then what is?" Dwalin asked, Thorin already having voiced his doubts on the dragon and he could see that something else was troubling his king.  
But Thorin did not answer, instead he sat and thought of her – hurting himself more – he could so easily bring to mind her smile when he told her he loved her, how he felt when he did. And even then, without uttering a word, Dwalin understood; "You love her," he said amazed, having never thought Thorin would ever find a woman he loved.

Thorin could do no more than nod, not liking how vulnerable he felt speaking of her.  
"She is no dwarf," Dwalin said knowing there were not many of their kin who would find Pearl as agreeable for their king as the Company did – though if they truly knew how enchanting she was he would not have worried.

"That matters not," Thorin told him darkly, surprising Dwalin with the fierceness in his eye.

"I meant nothing by it," Dwalin said placating, dread creeping into his heart at how taken Thorin was with the mermaid, wondering if perhaps it was unnatural.

Though all of that was forgotten when the door was found and Bilbo spoke with the dragon Smaug, at least for the moment in time.

…

It was another few days of Pearl swimming along the river, staying clear of the Mountain as Thorin had bid her, enjoying the peaceable way of living day to day as she had forgotten on land. She swam along with fili and kili as they explored, chattering away with them in their bubble speech which was not quite like words but rather more like feelings. She wondered what it was that was taking Thorin and the Company so long to call her for her, Smaug had been dead for days already – it never crossing her mind that they would have met their end.

She stretched herself out on the floor of the river, careful to look closely around the bank after she had seen the forest elves going to meet with the men of the Lake-town a few days previous, and stared at the swirling sky above her – it dawning on her that the clear blue was the color of Thorin's eyes. fili and kili swam around her, playing in her hair as they hid from one another or greeting other fish that happened to be drawn to Pearl.

She sat up and grabbed the piece of wood that was floating towards where the Lake-town had been, making Pearl realize it had not come from there. She stared for a while at the wood, seeing the strange carvings in it that she thought she recognized. She looked at it for some time longer until she remembered where she had seen the strange drawings before, ones she had learned were words, and it was not long after that she began swimming towards the Mountain where Thorin had dropped the broken piece of wood.


	30. evil, evil

_Kaia: I don't know if Thorin would use it against her, I could see him doing that though, but she was the victim I guess. _

_TTH: I'm not gonna tell you how I'm ending it cause I don't want to ruin anything for you, unless you're cool with spoilers. But thank you so much for your kind words.  
_

_Ari: Thank you very much, I hope you enjoy their reunion. I'm thinking he won't treat her like a possession, and that's the biggest difference between Thorin and Thranduil, that Thorin knows she's a person not an object. However, he may treat their relationship like a possession. _

* * *

Night had fallen when she finally reached the Mountain, and the moon reflected off the water and the walls and his eyes. It was his eyes she had noticed first for she could see something dark churning in their blue depths, something dangerous.

"Where are the others?" she asked as she slowly came closer, searching for a sign of threat.

"They are a ways up there," he told her motioning his head to the steep path behind him. When the Company had passed through the dining hall he had pocketed a piece of wood and tossed it in the river unseen – he had not wanted to hear the others as they asked about her, knowing they would refuse to leave the river until she came, and he wanted to be alone when she returned to him.  
"I have missed you," he breathed as he pulled her from the water and into his arms, silencing himself when he captured her lips. All worry and timidity left her at the feel of him, of his arms as they held her tight against his chest. His hands moved from around her back to cup her breasts and she sighed against him remembering the feel of his mouth on them. She pulled his shirt over his head and he threw aside his pants and boots, and the ax he had uncovered in his treasure, and she pulled him with her beneath the surface of the river. Nothing but the roaring of the river could be heard by those out of water, but fili and kili swam around their mermaid as she breathed air into Thorin's mouth – muffling his every sound.

The air was cold in his lungs as he climbed out of the river, unlike Pearl's – hers had been warm and salty, like the sea. He pulled her to his chest as he laid back, the warmth of her body so familiar to him now it had almost been unbearable to be without her. If Thorin had spoken of the dragon Pearl would have told him of the dark haired man who felled Smaug, but as it was they laid there contentedly in one another's arms.

"You have returned to me, my queen," Thorin said smiling gleefully, a strange sight on the usually stern faced dwarf, as he turned his head to kiss her.

"You still have not told me what that means," she said smiling at the fondness in his voice and happiness she could see in his dark eyes.

Thorin thought for a moment before answering. "For all peoples there is a king, and that king rules his people and does what is best for them," he told her as he played with her hair, seeing from her eyes she was thinking.

"The queen is his wife," she said slowly as she remembered his words from a week previous. "But what does wife mean?"

Thorin sighed as he thought, having never pondered over what the words meant for he had always known as everyone had. "You will be my wife when we are married. You will be bound to me by law as I will be bound to you," he said before she could ask what marriage was. "You will be mine."

Pearl saw whatever had darkened in his eyes grow when he spoke, but seeing his kind and loving face left her not knowing what to do; and so she thought on his words. "I will be yours?" she asked and he nodded, and seeing the soft smile quirking the corners of his mouth she couldn't remember why she had been so worried. "And you will be mine."

Thorin's smile grew as he pulled her closer. "I am yours," he said before kissing her.

They spent the rest of the night by the river before the sunlight woke them. Thorin pulled on the clothes he had carelessly done away with and he pulled out the dark blue dress that had been made for her in the Lake-town – almost saddened that her lovely skin was covered.

"Thorin?" they heard Fili's voice yell.

Thorin held his hand out to Pearl and she willingly took it as he led her up the steep incline and further on to where the rest of the Company was as they searched for their king.

"Pearl!" Bilbo exclaimed before running to her with his arms wide. She hugged with the same ferocity, glad to have her first land friend back. "It is good to have you back," he said as he released her, many of the others coming to give her their own hugs.

Pearl's smile fell when she met Thorin's eyes, seeing they were almost blackened, and she inched back when he stepped closer. His eyes cleared and confusion was left in its place as he stared at her. He bent down and kissed her cheek before walking ahead of her to where Dwalin was to discuss what they would do then.

Pearl looked on after Thorin wondering what had changed him, knowing it was inside of him, and then Bilbo called out; "There's that old thrush again!"

Pearl listened to the dwarves talk, trying a few times to tell them what she knew before giving up, and by then the thrush – who had also been trying to tell them something – flew away. It was not long before it returned but this time a very old raven came with it. Pearl was astounded to hear the bird speak in the tongue of man and she looked at it wide eyed as it spoke, not thinking of how she already knew the dragon was dead.

"Dead! Dead?" the dwarves exclaimed.

"Yes, the bowman shot him," Pearl said when she could find a moment to speak and they all turned to her with wide eyes.

"You did not tell me," Thorin said not understanding why she hadn't.

"You didn't ask," she answered as though it were the most logical in the world, which to her it was.

Thorin looked at her for a few moments longer before shaking his head. "No I did not," he said turning back towards the bird. After they conversed a while longer the bird left to send word to Thorin's cousin Dain in the Iron Hills, the bird having news that the men and elves were now on their way to the Mountain.

Thorin's back seemed to be straighter, his chest broader, he looked a king. He held his arm out for Pearl, and upon seeing the light in his eyes she took it as he led her away. "Back now to the Mountain!" he declared to those who stood and watched the two. "We have little time to lose!"

Bilbo and the dwarves were left to stare after Thorin and Pearl's figures as they walked away, his deep voice and her beautifully lilting one echoing back to their ears. The others were quicker to follow after, Thorin being their king, but little Bilbo was last to start moving as he thought on what he had just witnessed; a king and the woman he would make his queen.

* * *

_I may turn what happened with her and Thorin in the river into a smut chapter for til the siren come calling, if anyone's interested. If not then I won't bother, but I certainly wouldn't mind doing another.  
_


	31. I was a heartbreaker, I loved you

_Ari: thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I'm happy to hear that her naivete is still evident even though she is growing. I wish there was more time between when the dragon dies and the ending battle starts, it's not even a week really. I would fully develop the changes in him, as it is I show it getting worse and her seeing it. _

_Guest: I was planning on how to end the story but I just recently got a new idea, so the ending may change from what I had originally thought. I know that doesn't really answer much but I don't want to spoil anything._

* * *

Thorin led Pearl towards the Front Gate, which was five hours away, and all the while she stared around her amazed that people had made the Mountain into such an extravagant home; even then, filled with decay and the stench of dragon, she could see its splendor. Thorin's voice was filled with an enchanted wonder as he told her of how it had looked, and how it would look again. He pointed out the various rooms, pointing to a long hall that were the king's chambers where he said they would live. Pearl herself was full of wonderment, not for Erebor and of the many declarations that they would be wed, but rather for the joy she could see in Thorin – the swelling of pride and honor that had been taken from him years previous.

"You have not said much, my queen," Thorin said as they walked, having taken to calling her as such since he had retrieved her from the river.

"I like listening to you speak," she responded smiling and he leaned towards her to kiss her lightly, shocking those who saw for that was not a sight they had ever seen.

"We are almost there," he told her as he pulled away, his arm tightening around her as he breathed in the smell of her. He felt so complete in that moment – with the dragon dead, his kingdom reclaimed, his treasure, his friends at his side, and the woman he loved – if he had not been so overjoyed at all he now had it is highly possible he may have seen the signs of the dragon sickness in himself, as it was he noticed nothing more than his treasure and Pearl.

He smiled at the look of unadulterated awe on Pearl's face at seeing the treasure, at seeing their treasure. She had never seen anything so glorious, light flickered off the gold and the jewels casting an array of colors on the walls. The first time she had seen gold was from a coin in the troll caves, but she had seen jewels and they were both astounding in their plenty in Thror's great hoard. She ran her fingers over a jewel encrusted goblet; the rubies and emeralds felt as she knew they would but the gold was smooth beneath her touch.

She looked down when she felt Thorin placing something around her neck and saw a necklace of jewels and the strange carving of dwarven words. "It is beautiful," she said turning to him, seeing the warm smile on his face.

"That is only one of many, you will be covered in gold and jewels," he said running his fingers over her skin.

Dwalin stared at Thorin in shock, never before seeing such a look on Thorin's face, having never thought it was a look he could make. Dwalin could almost see the love Thorin felt for Pearl, and Dwalin realized it then – that Thorin did truly love her – and seeing the soft look on her lovely face as she cupped his face in her hands Dwalin could see how she would be a good wife to him.

"He loves her," Balin mused quietly at his brother's side.

"Aye," Dwalin said in agreement, both not thinking their king would ever find a wife; both having hoped she would be a dwarf but Pearl was not easy to resist and so they understood.

"Do you really think they are in love?" Bilbo asked as he stood next to Balin watching the two, who seemed to have grown close during their private moments; the hobbit did not like the way Thorin looked at her, his eyes were heavy and they grew dark and hot if anyone came near her.

"Aye, laddie," Balin said with a smile, something Bilbo did not feel like doing.

The three were not the only ones watching Thorin and Pearl, Fili and Kili were also looking on with amusement. Their uncle had scarcely shown affection to either of his nephews, though they never doubted he loved them, but seeing him with Pearl seemed so natural; as though the two were made for each other. They were romantics in their youth, young and full of life and love, still so new themselves to the world.

Many of the others stared after too, Bombur still amazed she was a mermaid for he had forgotten seeing her tail when he fell in the black river, and they talked quietly to themselves as they pilfered through the rooms searching for things to fortify the gate with.

Thorin made a seat out of the pile of gold and Pearl sat comfortably as the dwarves began to labor of their defenses, watching Thorin's large muscles as they moved beneath his shirt. Bilbo sat next to her, the work being that of a dwarf, and he tried to speak with her but her eyes hardly strayed from Thorin's figure. Thorin's own eyes often sought her out as he worked, often coming to her side to gift her with another piece of his treasure. By the end of the first day Pearl was wearing a necklace, a wonderfully crafted and embroidered cloak, many bracelets and rings, and a small feminine jeweled crown. _She looks like a queen,_ Bilbo thought as he looked at her at Thorin's side.

Pearl gently removed all Thorin had fraught her with as she laid down for the night, Thorin helping her with the clasp on the necklace before he took her in his arms to sleep. He kissed her only gently, his eyes not so dark as he lay close to sleep.

Though his eyes darkened once more when the sun rose and he kissed her with a ferocity she had not received before. He pulled her up with him, placing the crown on her head. "Good morning, my queen," he said lowly, his voice a low grumble in his chest.

She could not deny the way he made her feel but she did not understand what was happening to him, the darkness of his eyes, the firm way in which he held her as though no one were allowed to be near her. This continued on for the next few days, the ravens bringing news of the advances of the men and elves, Fili and Kili leaving to retrieve three of their ponies that had survived Smaug's rampage, and Thorin grew ever darker. Not often he let her out of his sight, nor were any of the others brave enough to face Thorin's hard burning glare when they spoke with her or sat near her.

Thorin's nephews returned and they could see the dark storm cloud that was their uncle surrounding Pearl's tiny frame, their mermaid torn between worry and love; for Thorin never turned dark, angry eyes towards her – he looked on her with love and adoration, he showered her with gold and jewels. He told her often how he loved her and would make her his queen, speaking of throwing tradition aside and marrying her then. As it was they waited for the men and elves to arrive, knowing when they did there may be war, and so Thorin urged the ravens bid his cousin Dain haste so they would be prepared for battle should it come.

On the night after Fili and Kili returned the glow of torches could be seen from the city of Dale.  
"They have come."


	32. the same way I do

_TTH: thank you very much. I'm glad you like that she can see it in his eyes, as being more animal I thought it was something she would probably be more attune to. _

* * *

The defenses the dwarves had built at the Front Gate was completely of stone with a few places they could see and shoot out of. It was out of one of those places that Thorin looked at the spearmen of both man and elvish parties who marched towards Thorin's kingdom the next morning.

"Who are you that come as if in war to the gates of Thorin son of Thrain, King under the Mountain, and what do you desire?" Thorin hailed them, surprising them greatly for they had thought the dwarves had perished.

No answer was given, instead the spearmen returned to their camp and the dwarves watched them closely all that day. Pearl sat quietly with Bilbo at her side realizing the churning of her stomach was due to worry and uncomfortableness at the Elvenking being so near.

Bilbo sat next to the fidgety mermaid, watching as her eyes would often take in her surroundings. He shrunk under Thorin's hard glare, not understanding why his being near Pearl upset the dwarf king so, but Bilbo stood and left her all the same.

"Something is troubling you, my queen," Thorin said softly as he took Bilbo's place, and unlike with the hobbit she looked up at Thorin giving him her full attention.

Pearl saw the sincerity in his eyes, the warmth that she was used to, but she could also see the black cloud drifting as it had been since he had come to the Mountain. "It would only trouble you," she told him causing him to look at her in question.

"Tell me what it is," he ordered, and though his voice and face were gentle she could see from his eyes that he would not be refused.

"I do not like that the elf king is here," she whispered knowing it would only lead to more questions, and knowing also her answers would displease him greatly.

Thorin sat looking at her knowing she was not telling him something, knowing from the first time he asked her what had happened in Mirkwood weeks ago that she was keeping silent. "You never did tell me what happened while he had hold of you," Thorin said, not meaning for his voice to be as a low and threatening as it seemed.

Pearl could only look at his stormy eyes for a few seconds before she had to look away, and she knew his eyes would only get darker should she tell him but she also knew by not saying anything that seemed guilty; it was one of many things she still did not understand, why must she seem guilty for not wishing to speak of something? But she knew she must and so she did. "You asked if he had hurt me,"

"Yes and you were not honest," Thorin said quickly, ready to hear something new.

"I was not lying either, it is true he never hurt me," she told him almost defensively.

"Then what did he do to trouble you so?" Thorin asked and she could see the caring once more on his face. She always felt so confused when she looked at him, seeing too many things on his face that did not make sense to her.

"He was not unkind, he gave me fili and kili," she said trying to lessen the truth, knowing that he would be angered greatly that someone other than him had laid a hand on her – and that he possibly may not listen when she said she had not wanted Thranduil to.

Thorin gave her a stern look, one he gave his nephews often. "If he treated you with kindness you would not care if he were here." Pearl sat looking reprimanded and Thorin realized he making her telling him difficult and so he sat back and waited for her to speak, completely shocked when she finally did.

"I don't think he meant to do what he did," she said after awhile. "He was impressed by me and curious, he's never seen anyone like me and he did not understand how I live."

Thorin sat staring at her, thoughts swirling in his head. "He touched you," he whispered and from her stillness he realized he was right. "All of you?" he asked and again her complete lack of moving answered yes. His heart raced as fury coursed through him, anger at the Elvenking for daring to touch what was his and anger at Pearl for allowing it.

"Can I ask you a question?" Pearl asked without looking at him, and if she had the raging storm in his eyes would have silenced her. As it was, Thorin grumbled a yes as he imagined all Thranduil and Pearl had done together.  
"You won't," she started softly as she looked up at him with wide timid eyes, "let him take me again, will you?"

It was as though the anger was sucked out of him and his mind cleared as he realized he had been wrong about Pearl allowing Thranduil to touch her – did she really know any better. "Why did you let him touch you?"

Pearl looked at Thorin, seeing his eyes were lighter. "He saved me," she admitted, and Thranduil had for she had been dying when the elves found her. "I thought I could trust him but you were right, I should be more careful in whom I trust."

Thorin felt foolish and cruel and he pulled her to him swearing no one would take her from him again. Pearl laid in his arms knowing Thorin would keep her safe, treasuring the clearness she could see in his blue eyes.

The next morning a company of spearmen was seen marching up the valley. Again Thorin hailed them in a loud voice: "Who are you that come armed for war to the gates of Thorin son of Thrain, King under the Mountain?" This time he was answered.  
Pearl recognized the man that stepped forward as the serious faced man she had saved after he felled the dragon. "Hail Thorin!," Bard cried. "We are not yet foes, and we rejoice that you are alive for we came expecting to find none living here; yet now that we are met there is a matter for a parley and a council."

"Who are you, and of what would you parley?" Thorin asked mistrustfully, having not liked that the man had known of Pearl.

Bard introduced himself and admitted to being the heir of Girion of Dale, whose treasure also resided among Thorin's. He then spoke of the dragon destroying the town of Esgaroth, requesting Thorin's aid in reparations.

Bilbo believed Bard's words were fair and true, and thought Thorin would at once admit what justice was in them – as did Pearl, though she did not understand expenses she liked the man well enough. Neither did the hobbit nor the mermaid reckon with the power that gold had upon the hearts of dwarves. Long hours in the past Thorin had spent in the treasury, and the lust of it was heavy on him. Thorin had hunted chiefly for the Arkenstone, yet he had an eye for many wonderful things lying there, about which were wound old memories of the labors and the sorrows of his race. Bilbo had not realized just how much Thorin treasured Pearl for her to have caused the dwarf's eye to stray from his gold.  
Thorin refused Bard's request and renounced the claim man had to the treasure, and reaffirming the men and elves as his foe. "I will not parley with armed men at my gate, nor at all with the people of the Elvenking, who I remember with small kindness. Tell him his molestation of my queen will not be forgotten. If you should wish to speak with me again, first dismiss the elvish host to the woods were it belongs, and then return, laying down your arms before you approach the threshold."

"We will give you time to repent your words. Gather your wisdom before we return!" answered Bard before he departed.

The dwarves had startled at Thorin's words of what Thranduil had done to Pearl, looking at the small woman who stood at Thorin's side, her hand held firmly in his larger one.

"Thorin," Balin said gently, not wishing to provoke the king's anger anymore than it already was. "Pearl is not yet your queen."

Thorin turned to Balin, his oldest friend, in surprise hearing the truth in his words. "No she is not," Thorin said in agreement as he looked at her. "That must be eradicated," he declared looking at those in his Company.

"Thorin think of what you are doing," Balin said thinking logically.

"Many weeks have I thought on us being wed, and many days now I have thought of wedding her at the moment in present. Who here among you will call on Mahal to bind us?" Thorin asked, his voice booming.

Oin stepped forward as a sign reader. "Tradition would be forsaken but it often is during times of war," he said thoughtfully as he stared at the two. "Brother find them rings," he called and Gloin turned to the pile of treasure and sorted through it as he searched. In the end Bifur, Fili and Kili, Ori and Dori all searched the treasure while Bofur and Nori began playing a happy tune with Dwalin playing the fiddle. And on that night, witnessed by twelve dwarves and a hobbit, Thorin and Pearl were wed.


	33. but, I've got so much wickedness and sin

_Ari: I know, he irritates me too - especially in this chapter. There's pretty much only one day now so she won't change much I guess, like I said I wish there was more time. But thank you for reviewing._

* * *

The day after Thorin and Pearl were wed, and only an hour after they returned from the river where they had lain together as husband and wife, the banner men returned asking for Thorin to reconsider or be deemed a foe. Thorin, who was so taken with the treasure that reason and logic were beyond him, of course refused.

She realized, seeing her husband's eyes blacken at the mention of relinquishing a portion of the treasure, that perhaps the great hoard is what had changed him. She did not think Thorin's response was the greatest of ideas, hearing the declaration from the speaker that the king under the Mountain was a foe and that the Mountain was besieged.

"You shall not depart from the Mountain until you call for truce and parley. We leave you to your gold, eat that if you will!" the banner man declared before they departed.

So grim had Thorin become that even if they wished the others would not have dared find fault with their king; but most of them seemed to share his mind. Bilbo disapproved of the whole affair for hobbits were sensible, peaceful folk and he sat grumpily for the days that followed ready to be rid of the Mountain all together.

Pearl, however, did not know or understand the ways of man; what she knew was that she loved Thorin, and that the warmth and light had dimmed in his eyes and being near him and cupping his face and telling him she loved him made him happy. And she knew, without a doubt, that Bilbo having the Arkenstone Thorin was searching for would make her husband enraged.

"Why do you not give it to him?" she asked Bilbo softly while the dwarves searched the great hoard, Thorin overturning most everything in front of him as he grew frustrated at not finding what his wife knew to be in Bilbo's possession.

Bilbo sighed as he shook his head, noticing how far their friendship had waned and it saddened him that he was loosing Pearl to Thorin when it had been Bilbo to find and care for her. "I have no other thought on how to rectify what _your husband_ has done," he told her, nearly hissing the words 'your husband.' It was not until the look of hurt crossed her face that he realized he'd made a mistake himself; Pearl had done nothing but fall in love with Thorin, and she could not be blamed for that.

"Are you mad at me for marrying him?" she asked sorrowfully, for Pearl herself treasured her hobbit over everyone else save Thorin.

"No, of course not," he told her assuredly as he took her hand. But looking at her beautiful face and feeling the ring Thorin had given her days previous, he wondered if perhaps she was right; many a time he had allowed himself the thought of her staying with him in his hobbit hole, and those thoughts always strayed to less respectful ones where he imagined her as his. "He loves you," Bilbo said firmly. "And you love him in return. I am not mad." And that was true, he held no ill thought against Pearl; it was Thorin he found himself angry with, and he felt it churning in his stomach when he looked up to see Thorin's dark eyes as he stood over Pearl.

"My queen," he said smiling down at Pearl offering his hand, and Bilbo watched as Pearl took it and was led away – her attention locked fully on her husband. "You have not been to the river in days," he said when they were away from the others.

"For what purpose do you wish for me to go to the river?" she asked as she leaned into his embrace, knowing full well why he did.

He answered her with a kiss, no longer hiding their embraces for she was his wife – and he was sick with gold. Thorin pulled away from her before calling for the other's attention and bidding them a good evening, it being common knowledge what the two were leaving to do.

It was that night, when king and queen were hours away crying out in ecstasy, that Bilbo put his long thought on plan into action; leaving the Mountain under the cover of darkness while he kept watch, taking the Arkenstone to those whom Thorin bid foe. That night would bring about a great many changes – betrayal, madness, friends lost, lives would come to be lost, hearts broken, new life, new love. None of that was on Bilbo's mind – how could it be, he could never have guessed what the years would bring after that night – all he thought of was bringing peace to his friends and the men and elves who asked for only a small piece of the large hoard.

Thorin and Pearl returned to the others the next morn, Thorin looking lighter than he had in days though he darkened quickly once the treasure was near. About midday a company of twelve were seen coming forth, and among them were both Bard and the Elvenking, before whom an old man was wrapped in cloak and hood.  
"Hail Thorin!" said Bard. "Are you still of the same mind?"

"My mind does not change with the passing of a few days," answered Thorin. "Still the elf-host has not departed as I bade! Till then you come in vain to bargain with me." The sight of Thranduil had made Thorin's blood boil, especially with how near Pearl was to him and the clear memory of her words as she said what the elf had done.

"Is there nothing for which you would yield any of your gold?"

Thorin's eyes found Pearl's and he stared at her a long moment before answering. "Nothing that you or your friends have to offer."  
"What of the Arkenstone of Thrain?" said Bard, and at the same moment the old man opened his casket and held aloft the jewel. The light leapt from his hand bright and white in the morning.

Then Thorin was stricken dumb with amazement and confusion. No one spoke for a long while. Pearl stared at Thorin, her hand going numb from how tight he was holding her, his face growing black with rage.

"How did you come by the stone of my father; if there is need to ask such a question of thieves?"  
"We are not thieves," Bard answered. "Your own we will give in return for our own."

"How came you by it?" shouted Thorin in gathering rage as he released Pearl to climb atop the wall.  
"I gave it to them!" squeaked Bilbo, who was peering over the wall in a dreadful fright.  
"You!" cried Thorin, turning upon him and grasping him with both hands.

Pearl stared unable to speak as she watched Thorin, her husband, scream at Bilbo, her closest and truest friend, take the small hobbit in his arms and go to throw him over the wall.

"Stay! Your wish is granted!" the old man threw aside his cloak and hood, "here is Gandalf, and none too soon it seems. If you don't like my burglar, please don't damage him. Put him down and listen first to what he has to say!"

Pearl found herself nearly crippled with relief as Thorin dropped Bilbo on the top of the wall.

"Never again will I have dealings with any wizard or his friends. What have you to say, you descendant of rats?" Thorin questioned Bilbo bruisingly.

"Dear me!" said Bilbo. "You may remember saying that I might choose my own fourteenth share? Perhaps I took it too literally – I have been told that dwarves are sometimes politer in word than in deed. Descendant of rats, indeed! Is this all the service of you and your family that I was promised, Thorin? Take it that I have disposed of my share as I wished, and let it go at that!"

"I will," said Thorin grimly, for Bilbo had become his friend and Thorin felt the betrayal all the more. "And I will let you go at that – and that we may never meet again!"

Pearl turned wide eyes to Bilbo seeing his colorless pale face, his own eyes wide in fear. She listened numbly as Thorin called angrily over the wall negotiating the giving of Bilbo's fourteenth share in exchange for the Arkenstone – Pearl realizing it was the Arkenstone itself, that had darkened Thorin's eyes.

"Take him, if you wish him to live," Thorin said casting a reproachful look at the hobbit. "And no friendship of mine goes with him. "Get down now to your friends!" he said to Bilbo, "or I will throw you down."

"What about the gold and silver?" asked Bilbo.  
"That shall follow after, as can be arranged," said he. "Get down!" Thorin roared making Pearl flinch. She turned when she felt a hand at her back and she looked to see Fili, who offered her the smallest of smiles though it did little to comfort either of them.

"Until then we keep the stone," cried Bard and Thorin nearly growled before jumping down.

He set his eyes on Pearl, hoping to find some solace in his wife, but he stopped when she backed away from him with tears in her eyes. "My queen?' he questioned as he took another step forward, though he saw the flash of fear in her eyes as she shook her head taking another step back. "Pearl?" he asked, his eyes clearing as realization dawned.

It was seeing the darkness in him lessen and the familiarity in his face that made her break, and she turned and raced toward the river.

"Let her go," Dwalin said grabbing a hold of Thorin's arm as he tried to go after his queen. Thorin stared after her, her figure disappearing behind a wall of stone within moments, despaired at her leaving and the knowing that it was only him at fault.


	34. my name is Pearl and I love you

_Ari: thank you, I'm glad you liked how I did it. I hope you like how I have them resolve it. _

* * *

Pearl had run for the few hours, her crown having fallen off, before she reached the river and threw her dress aside and plunged into the cold water, her tears finally falling when they could be washed away. She curled herself on the riverbed and allowed herself to cry, not liking the warm tears that fell when she was out of water or the way the air felt when she breathed in. So she breathed through her gills as sobs escaped her mouth, fili and kili burrowing near her as they pressed little kisses on her skin trying to take her pain away.

It was then, the gold ring glinting on her finger, that she regretted ever coming on land. Nothing she had done - not meeting Bilbo, or the others, or loving Thorin - had led to anything but hurt. She had enjoyed her time with the Company, Bilbo the most for he had found her and become her closest friend, and with Thorin for she loved him and he was her husband. But even then Bilbo had been forced to leave, hardly casting a glance back at her to say goodbye as he shakily climbed down the wall, and Thorin was the one who was causing it all; his love for treasure had taken over his heart and she was left wondering if that included the place she had in it.

"Pearl?" she heard a quiet voice call, ashamed at the warmth that bloomed in her chest at the sound of it.

She continued to lay hidden knowing she could not be seen and yet she could feel eyes staring hard at her, and looking up she could see that beyond all practicality he had found her.

"Pearl, please," Thorin said softly as he knelt, his eyes burning with regret and she was startled at seeing no amount of darkness in them.

She cautiously moved towards him and brought her head out of water, tilting her head back to look up at him. There was not an ounce of darkness in his eyes, he was the Thorin she had fallen in love with – he was her husband.

She was beautiful in the light of the torch, the shadow of the flames flickering on her face and eyes; though it pained him when he realized that she looked as she had when he first saw her, curious and timid; only this time she was afraid of him.

"My wife," he said cupping her cheek. "My queen."

Pearl took the hand he offered her and let him pull her out of the river, relaxing in his strong arms as he held her against him. "You tried to throw Bilbo off the wall."

"I know," he said quietly, nearly wincing at her accusation.

"You would have killed him," she said as she looked at him from where she was laid on his chest. This time she saw him wince, the regret heavy in his eyes, and he did no more than nod. "You were not yourself."

Thorin looked down at her in surprise, having realized what she knew, and at hearing the acceptance in her voice – she had always been too trusting, it was one of the reasons why he loved her.

"Forgive me," he said, nearly begging, knowing he did not deserve for her to.

She did not have to look at him to know the despair on his face, it was clear in his voice, though she saw it in his clear blue eyes. "I love you," she said softly and the words warmed his heart.

He held her against him, pressing soft kisses on her face apologizing every so often. He sighed contentedly when she stopped his mouth's ministrations on her neck by capturing his with her own. He entwined his tongue with hers as he rolled on top of her, feeling her small hands as she pulled his shirt over his head. He took her as his wife, once before she dried off and once more after, pleasing her several times in between. Laying beside his wife, the warmth of her bare body heating his own unclothed one, he realized how incredibly foolish he had been to think there was anything better than this; all the gold in the world could not replace the feelings Pearl stirred within him, and with those feelings close at heart he realized gold was not worth his friends and kin either. In the end it was Pearl, the shy mermaid who had captured his heart, to cure him of his dragon sickness.

As much as neither one of them wanted to they both redressed and walked back to the Front Gate where they returned to the rest of their Company – save their burglar – and they were all overjoyed at seeing their king, and now their queen, return with happy faces clear of all darkness. It was not long after midmorning when they heard yells and distant screeches.

"The camp is under attack!" Balin exclaimed from where he sat keeping watch. "It's goblins," he said though it was unnecessary for their recognizable sounds could now be clearly heard as well as the howls of wargs.

"Azog," Thorin said, dread filling him.

"We must do something," Dwalin said looking very much the warrior that he was.

"And we will," Thorin declared, his voice deep and booming as that of a king. "My queen," he said turning to Pearl. "Go to the river and wait for my call, do not come out until someone you know and trust comes for you," he told her quietly, urging her towards safety.

"You will be safe," she said worridly, fearing his death.

He smiled before kissing her. "I will return to you," he promised and kissed her again before she made her way back to the river.

She laid on the bottom of the river, staying within the Mountain, fili and kili hiding in her arms as the water was disturbed with many bodies. She laid for a long while until she felt a sharp vibration through the water that she recognized as her name and she swam towards where she thought it came from – leaving the Mountain until she saw a splotch of gray standing on a bloody, body strewn, bank.

"Gandalf," she said not understanding why Thorin himself had not called for her. "Where is Thorin?" she asked as he pulled out of the river. She watched as he ran his hands over her tail, feeling a great heat from his palms until her legs formed.

"I am afraid your husband has been greatly hurt," Gandalf told her somberly, having not realized how much either Pearl or Thorin had come to care for each other. He stared into her wide eyes, seeing the fear and the uncertainty as she was shocked speechless. "He asks for you," he said before wrapping her in his cloak and leading her to where Thorin laid bloodied and crippled.

"My queen," he said hoarsely when he saw her, his bloodstained lips curling into a small smile. "I am glad to see you safe."

"I cannot say the same," she said miserably as she stared at the wrappings on his sides, blood pooling in places from where he had been speared, his face bruised and battered. "You're dying," she realized when he did not say anything else. "But you can't."

"Pearl," he said, tears filling his eyes when he saw the ones shining in hers. He tried to smile again, his chest tight and his breathing not coming easily, when she kissed him lightly. "I love you," he said breathing heavily, his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

Pearl tried to keep herself from crying but a sob escaped her as she laid next to him, his eyes fluttering slowly as he gasped for air. She told him over and over that she loved him, that they would rule their kingdom as he had said; until his eyes fell shut and he breathed no more. And then it no longer mattered if she silenced her weeping for her husband was dead.

* * *

_Okay, so this chapter probably ended how you didn't want it to (I know I didn't want this ending) I had been planning one ending that continued with the sadness, but AutumnKrystal showed me a picture that inspired a new ending. So now I am left unsure on how I want to finish this. I could go with her being unable to continue living without Thorin and would return to the sea and fade away. Or I could give her a son which would result in a new life for her (maybe with Bilbo). If you have a preference please let me know, and if no one does then I'll do the first one. _


	35. the best way I know how

_Maggie: thank you for reviewing, I was thinking of giving her a son. However, I kept Fili and Kili's deaths as well. _

_Guest: Thank you for reviewing, I haven't seen that movie but it sounds really sad. But going on that line, if she were to marry Thorin's best friend I think that may be Dwalin (cause Balin already is married) But yes, him dying does destroy her. But her having a child is enough to keep her living. _

_Zephyr: Sad to say I did kill them, so now it's even sadder. And no, I suppose he can't catch a break cause he dies in all of my stories. _

_I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed, it meant so much to me to receive them._

* * *

Bilbo knew Thorin had died the moment he saw Pearl, hours after he had visited the dieing king, hours after she had first gone to see him. Her face was pale and tear stained, her eyes red rimmed and sad; and yet her beauty still shone.

"Pearl," he called when she walked passed him, her sad eyes not seeing anything but her husband's dead form. He grabbed her arm and turned her to him and she looked at him with the deadest eyes that he momentarily thought she may be dead too; this was worse than in Mirkwood when she was numbly comatose from lack of water, this was pain in its truest form and Bilbo did not know what to do.

He shook her until her eyes cleared of their deadened haze and she looked at him. "He's gone," she whispered, and he felt tears in his eyes again. "My husband is dead."

He was struck then, realizing she was now a widow, at how different she was from when he first found her – realizing taking her into his home may have been the biggest mistake he had ever made, and it was Pearl who was paying for it.  
"Yes, he is," Bilbo said quietly, not knowing what to say.

"And Fili and Kili," she said, her voice no more than a breath as she realized that Thorin's entire line was now dead – he was no more.

Bilbo felt the tears swell in his throat at the thought of the two young dwarves who had become his friend, of the king who had been his friend. And Thorin's apology as he lay dieing. "Pearl?" he asked as she moved away from him towards the river.

"I," she said despairing. "I cannot stay."

"You can't leave," he said appalled at the thought of losing her.

"Why not, what do I have left?" she asked sounding very much a woman who had lost her husband.

"Pearl," Bilbo cried sternly, not willing to imagine having to lose her after all the deaths that day had seen.

"There's nothing left for me here, Bilbo!" she yelled turning to him, her eyes showing her agony and despair.

"What about me?" he asked softly, wondering if he meant anything to her or if Thorin had taken it all.

Her face crumpled and she turned away from him once more and made for the river, Gandalf's gray cloak trailing after her as it was much too long for her small frame. "Pearl, please," he begged, not knowing what those words did to her.

She heard Thorin's voice clearly in her head when he begged for her forgiveness, a knife driving through her heart. Her chin was quivering when she looked back at Bilbo, such anguish in her eyes he wanted to tell her it had all been for fun and her husband was not actually dead; anything to take that pain from her.

"I can't stay," she told him pitifully, and if Bilbo had thought hard on what she was he would know she was being weighed down by feelings she had never felt before and that she did not understand them.

"You can't leave me," he said unable to imagine returning home alone with nothing but his memories. "Stay, just for a little while, please," he pleaded stepping closer.

Pearl shook her head, a choked whimper escaping her lips.  
"Please."  
"No, no, I can't," she cried falling to her knees as she wailed. "I can't, it hurts," she said, her body shaking with her sobs.

Bilbo realized then, tears gathering in his eyes as he watched her break, that she would not survive this.

"Make it stop," she begged. "Please make it stop, it hurts."

Bilbo could do nothing more than stand there and watch her cry, her weeping burning itself to his memory so that even when she stopped he would still hear it.  
There wasn't anything anyone could do for her; not who was left of the Company, not the Elvenking who watched remembering his wife, not Bard or Beorn, and not Bilbo.

"It is time for her to return home," Gandalf said coming to stand by the hobbit, berating himself for his stupidity at thinking Thorin would not love her – that she would not love Thorin.

"She cannot stay," Bilbo said realizing it would kill her if she did, but he also knew she had lost her will to live; and that in itself would kill her. She would return to the water and she would fade away, becoming nothing more than a memory.

Gandalf nodded as he sighed. "I should have sent her back the moment I saw her," he said admitting his wrongdoing. "Come now," he said stooping low to lift the mermaid to her feet before leading her to the river.

She stood a long while on that bank with Bilbo at her side. Long enough the sun set and the world grew colder and still she stood; Bilbo refused to leave her. "Should you ever find it in you, you may always stay with me," Bilbo told her knowing she would step into the river and never return.

"I could not have asked for a friend better than you, nor one to love me as much," she said without looking at him, grieving that she would leave him to mourn her.

Bilbo was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him, saying goodbye. He was surprised even more at the feel of her soft full lips on his as she told him all she did not know how to say. She knew that kisses were shared between people who loved one another, and she did love Bilbo – but not like Thorin. And Bilbo knew she meant it in nothing more than great friendship, but he could not stop the flood of warmth to his cheeks or the racing of his heart at her wonderfully salty lips.

She did not think leaving him would be so hard, not after losing Thorin, and yet it was, incredibly so. She pulled away from him before letting Gandalf's cloak fall to the ground and stepping into the river. Bilbo saw the flash of her skin in the pale moonlight before she was gone, and all the warmth with her.

_eight months later_

It was after May before Bilbo finally returned to his hobbit-hole, though he returned during the time in which they were auctioning his things. He had been greatly surprised, though the hobbits were even more so, and it had taken quite some convincing that Bilbo was alive and in fact who he said he was. And even then, finally home after longing for it for so long, he could not be happy – too much had been lost for him to ever feel that way again.

He could hardly look at his tub without seeing Pearl when she had her first bath, or his kitchen table when she learned how to properly eat, or the chair she had fallen asleep in twice, or his kitchen and pantry without thinking of the dwarves.

It was almost two months after he returned home, in the warm month of July, that he finally forced himself to sleep without his sword; having grown too accustomed to danger. He stowed away Sting in his mother's glory box, and a great many other things he had acquired from the quest, and he settled back into the life of being a hobbit.

It was late in that month, on a very warm evening after supper that Bilbo was interrupted from his peaceful life by the tinkling of his doorbell. He looked up from the poem he had written about Pearl startled for not many visited him, most of the hobbits in hobbiton said him to be "queer" and they often steered clear of him. He covered the poem he was not finished with and the picture Ori had given him – both of which portrayed Pearl in all her beauty, though Bilbo had tried to write a few poems of the mermaid who's lover had died and how she threw herself into the sea and died but they always made him weep – and walked toward the door.

Shock was not a strong enough word to describe how Bilbo felt when he opened the door to see Pearl, who he thought had let go of life. His first thought was joy at seeing she had not ceased living, the second was that she was more beautiful than his memory had remembered, the third of course naturally came to that she was not wearing clothes which led to his fourth thought: her swollen belly.

"Pearl?" he asked when she stood on his front step saying nothing. Her chin quivered and he stepped forward and took her in his arms, feeling her large stomach against him as she cried. It took several moments, to which he had taken her inside and wrapped her in a blanket for he had nothing that would fit her, before he understood why she was so upset; she was with Thorin's child: the heir of Erebor.

* * *

_I don't know if you can tell but I'm kind of hinting (not subtly) at her and Bilbo being together - and I will say this, he'll fall more in love with her faster than she will with him; and it's gonna take years before she accepts that she might have feelings for him. Also, I would like to know if you like the idea of her and Bilbo - cause I'm not entirely sure how many do, besides myself a few others - so please let me know. And please tell me if you don't cause if there's more people who don't like them together then I won't do it. _


	36. my blonde curls

_Zephyr: I'm very glad to hear that you like the idea of Bilbo and Pearl. And I do not think they will be going to Erebor, and it's pretty much explained when she gives birth on why. _

_Ari: I know, I always hate it when they die. You'd think I'd change the ending in one of my stories but in every one I kill Thorin. Her and Bilbo wouldn't be like her and Thorin, just cause I don't think she could love someone like she did(which was almost a spell), it would be sweeter and more gentle. If I do it, I'm still a little undecided. _

_Kaia: Only a son would take Dain's place on the throne (which is sexist I think) I'm not thinking there would be much doubt on that Pearl and Thorin had been married, it's just I don't think many dwarves would be okay with what Pearl is, and what the child is, cause they aren't dwarves - they're barely "human". _

_vintagegirl1912: I honestly don't think she could love anyone like she did Thorin, but she does love Bilbo too. And that may turn into something romantic years down the line, but it wouldn't be with the intensity of her and Thorin.  
_

* * *

"I had thought you dead," Bilbo said quietly as he sat across from her.

Pearl looked up at him with unfeeling eyes, though not deadened they held no joy. "As did I," she said placing a hand on her round stomach. "Alas we were both wrong."

Though he was happy to see her alive he felt as though that were wrong for it was obvious she wished not to live. But after spending so much time with constant company Bilbo had found himself growing lonely and seeing Pearl had made him hope that his friend had returned; only that she was not the mermaid she had been.

"Are you hungry?" he asked at a loss for what to do, but she only shook her head. In the end she had laid herself down on the sofa and fallen asleep leaving Bilbo with nothing else to do but retire to his bed.

Pearl continued to live in a state of nonliving and Bilbo fluttered around her trying to get her to respond, though she never would. He put her in a bath and she would lay there unmoving, he put food in front of her and she would eat without tasting. She mostly laid on the sofa staring at nothing and Bilbo couldn't imagine what she was thinking, if she thought of anything at all.

She did though, she thought all the time without ever stopping and it was always of Thorin. She had come to the conclusion that she had failed him as a wife and that was why he had been so overcome with the gold; _I am a mermaid,_ she thought, _I could have made him love only me if I chose._ Her thoughts cycled and pained her, blame weighing on her though it had been no fault of hers.

After a month Bilbo had given up trying to wake Pearl and instead sat at her side wondering if she would have her baby and then return to the sea and die. When she was sleeping Bilbo would sometimes place his hand on her swollen stomach and feel the baby kick; amazed at the tiny life inside her.

A week later Bilbo woke to Pearl crying out and he rushed to the sofa which she refused to leave, seeing her sitting up with a hand on her belly and her face contorted in pain. She relaxed after a moment and her face smoothed. "Are you alright?" he asked knowing nothing of pregnancy.

Pearl's response was a strangled moan as she felt another spasm tear through her. Bilbo jumped up at hearing her pain and pulled on his coat. "Don't leave me."

He turned at hearing Pearl's desperate plea to see her staring at him with fearful eyes. "I need to get someone to help I don't know what to do, I will come back," he swore to her before running out his door. He stopped a moment to think who to go to and who was closest and decided he should probably keep to family which left Rosa Took, his great-uncle Ponto Baggins' daughter.

It was not long before him and Rosa came back to Bilbo's hobbit-hole, though Rosa was old and therefore slower and a widow herself like Pearl. "Oh dear," Rosa cooed at Pearl's whimpers. "We should move her to a bed."

Hobbits were not known for their strength, it was a silly notion in fact, and yet Bilbo gathered Pearl in his arms as best he could and struggled for his spare bed where he laid her down.

"Oh my," he said embarrassedly when Rosa spread Pearl's legs.

"Perhaps you should hold her hand," Rosa said trying to not to smile at Bilbo's red cheeks.

Hours later, Pearl's screams still echoing in his ears and his hand prickling as it regained feeling, a babe's cries filled the hobbit-hole. "It is a girl," Rosa said after cleaning the baby, placing the small infant in her mother's arms.

It was then, staring down at the dark haired child with her father's blue eyes, that Pearl awoke. She smiled at her tiny child, stroking her smooth little cheeks.

"What will you name her?" Rosa asked as she set about cleaning Pearl.

Bilbo looked down at Pearl to see her turn and look up at him in question; he had been the one to name her. "Daisy?" he offered, the first name he had suggested for Pearl.

Pearl remembered that day when he found her, how her life changed. She smiled up at Bilbo and shook her head before tears filled her eyes and she began to cry; remembering all she had lost.

"Shh," Bilbo said as wrapped his arms around her, holding her as her body shook. Pearl dried her tears soon enough after the baby cried herself.

"Here," Rosa said knowing the baby was hungry, though she was greatly surprised at seeing Pearl's breasts were not lactating.

Though the child settled once Pearl sang softly in her ear and Bilbo smiled uncomfortably at Rosa who was giving him a hard and searching look.

"What were some of the other names you had said?" Pearl asked after her daughter had fallen asleep.

Bilbo thought for a moment until he remembered a few. "Petunia, Poppy."

Pearl thought on those as she looked at her daughter's sleeping face not liking them for her. "What are the flowers that grow in the water?"

"Lilies," Rosa answered wondering who the woman was for she did not have the feet or the look of a hobbit.

"Lily," Pearl said smoothing the short dark hair on her daughter's head.

Rosa shooed Bilbo out into the hall so she could get some answers, and the last thing either of them heard before the door was closed was; "he would have loved you," and it nearly broke Bilbo's heart.

"Who is she?" Rosa asked staring hard at Bilbo.

Bilbo thought as quickly as he could, running through all his family to find someone he could say Pearl was related to. "She is the cousin of Gilly Brownlock, the wife of one of my cousins, Posco Baggins; Pearl Brown," Bilbo answered very pleased with himself for thinking of it.

"Why is she here? Does she not have other family?" Rosa asked, knowing there was more behind Bilbo's pause before he had answered.

"She was recently widowed, I offered her a room until she could find another place to live. She wanted to be closer to her family," he answered stumbling over his words, growing nervous under Rosa's stern gaze.

She nodded as she thought. "She is no hobbit," she said finally though she decided to let it be for now, having been recently widowed herself and therefore was filled with sympathy for the strange woman who had to raise the babe alone. "She will need a dress, both of them."

"Yes they will," Bilbo agreed hoping Rosa would speak no more of what Pearl was.

"I will make them both one," Rosa said as she walked towards the door. "Should you need anything my door is always open, for both of you," she told Bilbo kindly before leaving.

Bilbo sighed in relief once Rosa had left and he returned to Pearl's side where they both sat looking at the sleeping baby. "Lily, a fine name."

* * *

_There are more people who like the idea of Pearl and Bilbo, but there are a good number of people who don't. I have to say, I kind of like Pearl and Bilbo, just not yet. It would be something that happens in a few years. And, repeating myself, it won't be like with her and Thorin. It'll be more sweet, and Pearl already loves Bilbo (friendship-wise) and it will turn into her wanting to have someone she can spend her years with cause she's lonely. And Bilbo's pretty much already in love with her, and being a hobbit he's naturally sweeter anyway. This is really Pearl's only chance of ever finding happiness, cause she hasn't found it yet. _

_Also, I did not give her a son as you read (thanks to some wonderful ideas from Tolwen). As a girl she pretty much has no claim to the throne, so I guess that answers questions about Erebor. Lily will take Pearl's last name that Bilbo gave her making her Lily Brown; which is a canon character and is the mother of Rosie, who marries Samwise Gamgee. There's a few Lord of the Ring connections which I'm very happy about. Rosa Took is the great-grandmother of Pippin, just as a fun fact. This all came from the help of Tolwen, who I'm very grateful for. I hope you will continue reading even if you're not fond of Bilbo and Pearl. And if you decide not to read anymore then I would like to thank you for reading this far. _


	37. slice through your heart

_Zephyr: Yes Sam is. No, moving on from Thorin won't be easy, especially with Lily. But I'm thinking it's probably gonna take a bit of a push for her to realize she does care for Bilbo in a more "romantic" way. _

_Kaia: I don't know if the other dwarves will find out about Lily. I did know Balin came to visit, I didn't know Gandalf came with him (thanks for that). If Balin goes from the Shire to Moria then I'm thinking the others won't know, but if Balin returns to Erebor (which that may be likely since Ori was with Balin in Moria) then he'll tell the others. I guess it all depends on what I find out. _

* * *

"Pearl?" Bilbo called when he woke to find her bed empty; he had fallen asleep beside her looking at little Lily and now she was gone. A sliver of fear embedded itself in his heart when he wondered if perhaps she had either taken Lily to the river and gone or if Pearl had left Lily and gone alone. He searched through his house calling out her name, panic growing when he could find neither mother nor daughter, before he heard a soft voice;

"Bilbo?"  
He raced toward the sound of it to find Pearl with Lily in her arms as they sat in the tub filled with water, and he could not help the sigh of relief at seeing Pearl still there. "I couldn't find you," he said lamely as he knelt by the tub. Lily was laying contentedly against her mother's chest, her small hands holding the skin below Pearl's breasts.  
"What are you two doing?" he asked distractedly as he saw Lily's tiny feet resting on Pearl's scaled tail, wondering if Thorin's blood kept the babe's legs in water.

"I was feeding her," Pearl said softly as she stared down at her daughter in awe.

"Doesn't she need to breathe?" Bilbo asked concerned, not understanding for Pearl's nipples all but disappeared in the water.

Pearl did not answer, she had not been listening as she looked at Lily, and she leaned back in the water until she and Lily were completely submerged. Bilbo watched in fascination as Pearl moved Lily's mouth to the small slit beneath her breast. He watched amazed for several long minutes before Lily's hand curled into a fist and Pearl sat up once more so the baby could breathe, and Lily laid happily on her mother's chest as she caught her breath.

Pearl leaned back against the tub and held her daughter, Lily's skin soft and chubby in her hands, her clear blue eyes so like Thorin's. She had not slept at all the night before, between staring at Lily and the aching of child bearing sleep had not found her.

"I could take her," Bilbo offered. "If you wanted to stay in the water."

Pearl looked up at him for a moment before nodding and Bilbo grabbed a small towel before taking Lily and wrapping her in it. Pearl felt a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth at the sight of Bilbo cradling the baby in his arms, softly cooing things as he dried her. _That should be Thorin,_ she thought as she watched Bilbo walk away and hearing the sound of his voice as he spoke softly to Lily.

She sighed heavily before slipping to the bottom of the tub and curling her tail around her, sleep finding her a few moments later interrupting her mourning.

"_She's beautiful," Pearl heard a deep, grumbling voice say. _

_Pearl woke with a start when she realized who had spoken, and she grabbed the covers before it slipped off of her, confused for she had been in a tub. Lily was tiny in Thorin's large arms, small and pale against his tanned skin covered in dark hair. She could find no words, not that it mattered for she could hardly speak. _

"_She looks like you," he mused as he looked up at her, stroking her cheek as he smiled. _

"_She has your eyes," Pearl whispered, feeling his touch and marveling at it. "Oh Thorin," she breathed, tears filling her eyes when she touched the hand on her cheek – feeling it firm and calloused beneath her fingers. _

"_My queen," he said pulling her to his chest and she smiled when she heard his heart beating. _

"_I don't understand," she said though she did not care if she ever did so long as she could stay with him. _

"_I know," he answered. "I am sorry for leaving you and that I must again." _

_His breath was warm on the top of her head and she could not understand that he was dead when she could feel him. Pearl smiled as she smoothed Lily's dark hair back, her tiny hands wound in the hair on her father's chest. _

"_You will take care of her," Thorin said firmly and she looked up to see his eyes, eyes that had always told her exactly what he was feeling; and they still did, he was worried and disappointed. _

"_Of course I will, how could you think otherwise?" _

_Thorin's look turned sad. "You had wished to die," he told her gently, his death being the reason why and Lily being the reason why she couldn't. _

_Pearl laid against him running her fingers through their daughter's fine hair. "I would not leave her," Pearl said finally knowing even if his death hurt her she could not abandon her daughter. _

_Thorin smiled as he held them both – one that had been his and one that never could be. "You will love her," he said making them both smile. "He will too. I am glad to know you have him." _

_Pearl smiled as she thought of Bilbo grateful for him as well, not thinking she could do this without him. She sat up when Thorin unwound his arm from around her back, and took Lily when he placed her in her arms. "What are you doing?" she asked as he knelt before them, looking sadly at them. _

"_I love you," he said softly before kissing her, and she sighed at the feel of his lips on hers. It had been a year since last she felt him, the first time she had felt the passing time and it had dragged painfully along, and she reveled in the feel of him again; until she understood. _

"_You can't leave me again," she insisted and she knew she was right from the pain in his eyes. _

"_You can't stay," he said grievously. _

"_Thorin," she begged, cradling their crying daughter, as though Lily grieved the loss of her father too. "Come back to me," she cried, her voice breaking from her tears. _

She woke gasping and sat up, water running down her face and into her mouth as she breathed. She continued to breathe deeply before climbing out of the tub, her belly making her move slower. She dried herself off quickly, trying in vain to hurry along, tying her wet hair back so it would stop dripping on her and finally she was able to stand.

"Bilbo?" she called and she walked toward the sound of his voice as he called out to her in return. She saw Bilbo standing beside Rosa as she tied what looked to be a rag around Lily's small waist. "What is that?" she asked curiously.

Rosa looked over her shoulder in amusement at Pearl before answering; "It is a diaper," she explained and Pearl was left confused on why they needed them when they could go in the water; and Bilbo was quick to hush her when she started to ask.  
"Here is an old dress of mine from when I had my son," Rosa said holding out a purple dress with flowers on it.

"Thank you," Pearl said before pulling it over her head. In truth she had grown accustom to wearing clothes and she grateful to be covered again.

"I made a little dress for Lily. It isn't much but it should do until I can make a better one," Rosa said holding out the little pink dress.

Pearl smiled appreciatively before putting the dress on her daughter, the light pink going wonderfully with her dark hair. She held Lily in her arms, which were much smaller than Thorin's, and she kissed her head before she started singing.

_Rotting like a wreck on the ocean floor,  
Sinking like a siren that can't swim anymore  
'Cause our songs remind me of swimming,  
But I can't swim anymore  
_  
_Pull me out of the water, cold and blue,  
I open my eyes and I see that it's you,  
So I dive straight back in the ocean _

_Then all of a sudden, I heard a note,  
It started in my chest and ended in my throat  
Then I realized, then I realized,  
I was swimming._

* * *

_The song I used is Swimming by Florence and the Machine, which was suggested to me in a review but I forgot who it was (I'm so sorry, but thank you again). It is symbolic of her time while she was away before Lily was born, so when she was in despair to now when she has "awoken".  
_

_The dream part of this chapter was suggested to me by creepyLORTfangirl55, and I'm very thankful for that. I will say I'm not entirely sure what I want it to be, but I will tell you this; it's not just a dream. It's either Thorin reaching out to her, or Aule (the dwarves' maker and god aka Mahal) allowing her to visit Thorin briefly. And I'll tell you this, it'll happen one more time. _


	38. and the stars are

_So in the next chapter I think I'm gonna skip a few years, and I may do that within chapters but I'll always say how many years have passed and what the date would be. Oh, and if anyone is interested I put up a new chapter to "til the siren come calling" which is just smut - so be warned. _

_Kaia: Thank you, it was sadder than I thought it would be. I thought her seeing Thorin again would be a happy moment but it just broke my heart. I went back to the book and found that part, I don't think I ever read after Bilbo returned home, I think I stopped at him getting to Hobbiton. _

* * *

Bilbo was amazed at how fast Pearl's stomach shrank back to nothing, only taking two months and by then Pearl was moved into a hobbit-hole down the road from him. Bilbo had told Rosa he was keeping Pearl until she could find a hobbit-hole of her own, and so reluctantly he began asking around. Naturally of course they were all curious as to whom Bilbo was searching for a home for. And naturally most everyone was bespelled by Pearl and Lily – to no shock of Bilbo's.

Pearl was entirely grateful for all the help she received, including an old bassinet being given for Lily as well as clothes for them both. By the end of the two months all the hobbits of Hobbiton had given the two at least one thing, some being furniture and kitchen items, some being clothing, and toys. And all the people spoke gloriously of the two – it seemed Pearl was too much for even the hobbits.

She settled in the chair Bilbo had gifted her with, Lily in her arms as she rocked her daughter to sleep. A knock sounded on the door, three short knocks letting her know who it was. "Come in," she called and smiled when Bilbo rounded the corner.

"How are you this night?" he asked coming to stand by her side.

"I am well, Rosa says the boys are starting on the pond tomorrow," Pearl said. The men had taken it upon themselves to construct a pond on Pearl's new land after Pearl had said how much she and Lily loved the water.

"You two would certainly love it, but only at night when everyone else is in bed," he warned and she nodded, a small smile on her lovely lips. He still remembered the feel of those salty lips on his own as she kissed him goodbye. "Shall I put her in bed while you try your hand at supper?" he asked, having spent many weeks trying to teach Pearl to cook.

"She's almost asleep, it should not take more than a few moments," Pearl said putting a drowsy Lily in his arms.

Bilbo made his way to the kitchen, smelling something as Pearl started to cook. She ate mostly fish, which was one of Bilbo's favorite things to eat and she was very good at catching the good tasting ones. It was the cooking she needed work on, for she did not know the need for seasoning.

"How is it going?" he asked smelling a few herbs and lemon.

"Good. Did Lily go down alright?" she asked before flipping the two fish.

"That she did," he said, and Lily had; he had held her for a few moments, breathing in her sweet baby smell that was mixed with salt, before he lowered the sleeping babe into her bassinet. He looked at the fish and vegetables, it smelling heavily of salt, and it did not look appetizing in the slightest – though nothing she ever cooked did.

But when she put some on a plate and sat him down at her kitchen table he ate it like he had all the other dishes she'd made.

"Do you like it?" she asked when she sat down with her own plate.

Bilbo nodded with his mouth full, and this time he truly did. "It tastes like the sea," he said, all he could manage to think of to describe the taste which was salty and delicious, tasting of heavenly fish.

Pearl smiled pleased with herself. "I tried something different than the last times, they weren't to my taste but you had said you liked them. I don't think you were being honest."

Bilbo looked at her guiltily and tried to smile an apology through his full mouth. It was true, he always said he liked everything she made, but this was the first night where it was actually edible.

"I thank you for sparing my feelings," she told him quietly with a smile before she too began to eat. In truth she hadn't added much salt, she had though gone to the river the night before as she did at times – leaving Lily with Bilbo – visiting with fili and kili who were excited for the pond so they could live with her and meet her daughter, and she had gone far into the water and retrieved some sea kelp. The rest of it was drying outside at the back of the house but eating it with the fish tasted good.

"Rosa suggested something that I think you may find interesting," Bilbo said as he helped Pearl clean the dishes after they'd eaten. "She said that you would need a way to earn a sum and she thought perhaps you could give the girls singing lessons."

Pearl dried the dishes Bilbo washed and thought long his words, knowing she could do strange things with her voice and wondering if she needed to make a sum.

"Everything has a price, usually it's in silver and gold," Bilbo explained when she asked what a sum was.

"Like coins?" she asked remembering the coin Bofur had given her from the troll caves, and the great many gold coins in Bilbo's chest from Erebor – where she had been queen.

"Yes, most everything is worth a coin and Rosa believes you should give singing lessons to earn them so you can afford things," he told her as he washed the last fork. "Though I would be more than happy to cover your expenses," he offered gentlemanly, wishing as he had of late that she had stayed with him. It was not often that they were not together but he still found himself missing her.

Pearl thought long on his words the remainder of that night, covering Bilbo with a blanket Rosa had helped her make on the sofa he had fallen asleep on. She smoothed the hair back from his face and he sighed leaning into her touch as he dreamed; she did not think she would ever stop being grateful to have him, that he had found her. She kissed his cheek before retiring to her own bed, waking once before dawn to feed Lily before sleeping again.

Nearly all the men in Hobbiton came to Pearl's house the next morning after a hearty breakfast and began the labor of making a pond. It was a month longer before it was finished, and they labored happily listening as Pearl gave singing lessons to girls and woman who wished to sing as she; though the men were always quick to say no one sounded near as lovely as Pearl Brown.

Pearl found herself greatly enjoying teaching the girls how to sing, them coming to her home after noon every other day for a lesson, to which Pearl could still keep Lily close. She also grew to enjoy Rosa's company, who was over most everyday to see to her and Lily; and to keep an eye on Bilbo making sure he remained a gentleman to Pearl though she never told the mermaid that.

Though Pearl loved nothing more than when Bilbo would come by, seeing her daughter's face brighten when she recognized him, grateful as she always was that he was in her life. She loved watching him fawn over Lily, making her squeal with absolute glee as he held her or tickled her gently. She was glad to know that Bilbo would be there for her daughter in place of her father, something Thorin had found relief in as well.

"You are doing well for yourself," Bilbo said as they walked back from the river from collecting fili and kili, who were sitting unhappily in a bowl once again.

"Yes, I suppose I am," she said softly as she held the bowl, having bought from the market the day before with coins she had earned.

Bilbo noticed the quietness about her, had noticed it for a few days but had left it alone. "Is everything alright?" he asked, growing concerned at her melancholia.

"Of course," she said with a false smile. "How could it not? I have Lily and a home, a means to support myself as you called it. What could possibly be the matter." There was a fake cheer in her voice as she said all she had, and it pained Bilbo to know what it was she did not have for he realized the reason for her sadness.

"Will you stay with them on this night?" he asked as she put fili and kili in the lake, who immediately darted off to explore.

She was quiet as she stared after them and Bilbo could almost see the want in her. "Not this one," she answered.  
Bilbo stood at her side not knowing if he should try to comfort her, if there was any comfort left to offer her. He was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him, the tears audible in her next breath.  
"I miss him," she whispered, her voice cracking with her despair. He could do nothing more than hold her as she cried, knowing then he could offer her nothing. It took her a few long moments before she stopped and wiped her tears. "What would I do without you," she said when he took over drying her face with the pads of his thumbs.

"You won't ever have to find out," he swore to her, leading her back to her hobbit-hole where it was warm and safe, filled with the comfort and love of a life she was creating for not only herself but her daughter; and of course Bilbo, for he would never leave her.


	39. are exploding in the night

_Kaia: thank you, I'll admit that it made me kind of sad too. And you'll see in this one that it may again. I'm very glad to hear that you're liking my story. _

* * *

_TA 2950 – eight years later_

"Mamma, is uncle Bilbo my papa?" Lily asked one night before bed.

Pearl looked down at her daughter surprised. "No, my love, Bilbo is your uncle," Pearl said before pulling the sleeping gown over Lily's head.

"Then who is my papa? Aren't I old enough now?" Lily said nearly begging to be told, her big eyes pleading.

Pearl sighed before sitting on the edge of Lily's bed. "Not for everything," Pearl said softly, smoothing Lily's dark curls.

"What am I old enough for?" Lily asked climbing on her mother's lap.

"He was a good man, an honorable one," Pearl said, feeling the splinter of pain digging into her heart as she brought him to mind. "He was a fierce warrior, though I never did understand it."

"And he loved you," Lily whispered, afraid speaking might seal her mother's lips. She had learned quickly in her eight years that her mother did not like speaking of him, and Lily may have kept asking if not for the hurt in her eyes.

Pearl smiled wrapping her arms tighter around her daughter, holding her close to her chest. "Yes, my flower, he loved me more than gold."

"Is that a lot?" Lily asked, liking the small smile on her mother's face.

"There wasn't much he loved more than gold," Pearl admitted fondly.

"But he did you," Lily said smiling to which Pearl nodded.

"He loved his kin too, and his people. He was the most loyal companion one could ask for, if your friendship was earned."

Lily brought her small arms around her mother's middle, trying to squeeze the sadness away. "What was his name?" she asked looking up at her mother's sad face. Lily waited patiently, a patience she did not get from her father, as her mother tried to say it. "Mamma?"

"Yes, Lily," Pearl said relieved not to have to try to force the name from her tongue.

Lily was quiet a while and Pearl might have thought her asleep if not for the feeling of her lashes fluttering against her chest as she blinked. "Does it hurt to talk about him?"

Pearl swallowed heavily, fighting the swelling of tears so Lily would not see and grow concerned. "I loved him very much," she told her daughter quietly, her eyes burning and her throat swollen.

Lily hugged her mother tighter wondering if she didn't talk about her father only to save herself. "Can you stay with me tonight?" she mumbled against her mother's chest.

"Of course," Pearl answered stroking Lily's hair.

"Can you sing to me too?" she asked as Pearl tucked them both in. "One about my papa?"

Pearl laid still with Lily's head on her chest, her hands in her daughter's fine hair. "His name was Thorin," she said, her voice little more than a breath as she spoke his name for the first time since he had died.

Lily settled against her mother, listening to the beat of her heart before she began to sing; and even as she fell into slumber Lily could hear the sadness in her mother's voice as she sang of her father.

_Come what may  
I won't fade away  
But I know I might change_

_Nothing comes easily_  
_Fill this empty space_  
_Nothing is like it was_  
_Turn my grief to grace_

_Nothing comes easily_  
_Where do I begin?_  
_Nothing can bring me peace_  
_I've lost everything._  
_I just want to feel your embrace_

…

Lily dreamed a man half a head taller than her mother and almost over half as broad; a man much bigger than herself. His hair was dark and long, two braids framing his face, and a short beard. But it was his eyes she really saw, ones almost as sky blue as her own. And they looked at her filled with such warmth and love, a lovely smile on his handsome face. Her arms barely went all the way around his waist, and even then feeling very small as he enveloped her in his large arms, she knew who he was.

"She misses you," Lily said quietly against his chest.  
"I know," he sighed holding her tight against him. "She loves you very much. So does your uncle Bilbo."

"I know," Lily said, mimicking his previous answer. His arms loosened around her when she pulled away to look at him. "Would you be mad," she started timidly, "if I said I wanted uncle Bilbo to marry Mamma?"

He cupped her cheek in his large palm as he memorized her sweet face. "No," he admitted softly.

"He loves her," Lily told him. "And I think Mamma loves him too."

"Do you?" he asked with a small, sad smile to which Lily nodded.

"But she still loves you more."

"I know she does," he admitted.

"I think Mamma's afraid you may be mad if she did, or that if she loved uncle Bilbo then she'd stop loving you," Lily told him, sounding much older than her eight years. "Maybe you could tell her it's okay. Do you think it's okay?" she asked after seeing the faraway look in his eyes; the same one her mother got when she thought of him.

"I want your mother to be happy," he told her stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I don't think she could find happiness anywhere else."

"Does it hurt you too?" Lily asked, seeing the same sadness that was usually in her mother's eyes unless her uncle Bilbo was with them.

"I love your mother very much," he told her pulling her to his chest once more. "Just as I love you."

"I love you too Papa," Lily said hugging him tight.

Thorin kissed the top of her head before pulling away. "Go back to your mother now."

…

"G'morning, water Lily," Bilbo said when Lily opened the door the next morning.

"Uncle Bilbo!" Lily exclaimed before launching herself at him, taking him by surprise in the ferocity in which she greeted him, not knowing the occasion. "Mamma's in the kitchen making pancakes."

"Is she now?" Bilbo said putting Lily back on her feet, smelling the wonderful breakfast smell coming from Pearl's kitchen – her cooking having much improved over the years.

"Hello Bilbo," Pearl said smiling when Bilbo came into the kitchen.  
"G'morning," he said kissing her cheek, his cheeks as red as they always seemed to be when he was near her.

"Would you like some bacon too?" she asked making his plate.

"Yes thank you, and those eggs look positively scrumptious," he told her taking his full plate.

"Would you tell me if they weren't," she teased making a plate for Lily and then herself.

"What are we doing today?" Lily asked when they all sat at the table she had set.

"Today you and I are going to the market while your mother gives the girls their lesson," Bilbo told her between forkfuls of pancakes.

"Really Momma?" Lily asked excitedly.  
"Yes," Pearl said nodding with a smile on her face. "Your uncle Bilbo insisted."

Lily went outside to play in the pond with fili and kili while Bilbo helped Pearl clean up.

"You never did tell me the reason why you wanted to take her to the market," Pearl said looking at Bilbo questioningly.

"No reason but I like being in her company, and it is a way for her to get the attention she so loves while you occupied," Bilbo said skirting around the reason.

"She does love attention," Pearl agreed, but then again most children did.

"So why are we going to the market?" Lily asked holding Bilbo's hand as they walked down the row.

"Did your mother tell you about the day I found her?"

"Uh huh, she sure did. She says she'll be forever grateful to you," Lily said happily.

Bilbo smiled at Lily's words. "Well I found her on _this_ day," he told her, emphasizing the word "this."

Lily gasped amazed as she figured it all out. "Are you buying her something special to tell her you love her?" she asked excitedly thinking he would ask her mother to marry him.

Bilbo's eyes widened to the point of bulging and he shook his head voraciously. "No, no nothing like that," he said firmly, wondering how obvious he was in his feelings for Pearl.

"Oh," sighed Lily crestfallen. "But you do love her, right?"

Bilbo looked down at her baffled when he saw the hopeful look in her eye. "Lily," he said kneeling before her, "your mother loved your father very much. He was the first person she had ever loved, in the way mothers and fathers do," he added lamely though Lily nodded as if she understood. "What I'm trying to say is that losing him nearly destroyed her and it was only you who kept her here, not me."

"But what if you were part of the reason, a little one. And what if she didn't know it yet," Lily asked, wanting him to see her mother loved him.

"Your mother loves me, Lily, just not like your father. I don't think she could love like that again," he said, a thought that always saddened him.

Lily smiled before hugging him tightly. "You're wrong, uncle Bilbo. She already does."

Bilbo was left to stand and be led by Lily toward the market, thinking on the young girl's words and wondering if there were truth to them. He berated himself for trying to find a truth in adult matters from a child, who should know nothing of love and heartache. And he chastised himself heavily at the small seed of hope that bloomed in his heart at the thought of Pearl loving him in return.

* * *

_The song is Grace by Kate Havnevik, though I personally love the rendition Sara Ramirez (from Grey's Anatomy) did. So I'm not entirely sure what to have Bilbo get her, I was thinking maybe a necklace that has pearls on it. I'm just not sure if that says all I want it to; which is basically that he loves her. Any suggestions?  
_


	40. it won't be long

_Kaia: I think the year I'm in is 2950 so about 9 years after the quest. Frodo was born 2968 and it was said that Frodo was Bilbo's favorite so I'll probably have Frodo somewhere in the story before Bilbo adopts him in 2989. This story will go into the time frame of LOTR, so Pearl would probably go with Bilbo to Rivendell to live with him. Thank you so much, I'm so glad you like my story - and that you think it's one of the best :)_

_Guest: thank you so much for your suggestions. And that shove will come I think in the next chapter. But I really liked the mother of pearl idea, and though that's not exactly what I did it is based off of that, if you look really close (cause the way I describe it later, the "glass" has the same smooth shimmery appearance as a mother of pearl). So thank you very much. And I may use that fireworks display for later, so thanks for that too._

* * *

Lily excitedly stayed by Bilbo's side, walking past the toys and the dresses and the delicious looking foods, so that she could help him pick her momma out a gift.

"That one's awful pretty," she said pointing to a gold necklace.

Bilbo looked at the necklace, seeing the small pearls dangling from it. "It certainly is," he mused, "though your mother is not one for gold."

"Is it cause of papa?" Lily asked quietly and Bilbo nodded before they looked at other pieces of jewelry. They paused at earrings, debating between the purple or blue ones before they came to the conclusion that Pearl needed nothing on her ears. They bypassed all things gold and eventually jewelry for Pearl wore nothing but the ring Thorin had given her when they were wed.

"She likes to read," Lily suggested and Bilbo nodded, he had taught her to both read and write a few years ago, though that was not quite what he was looking for. "We could get her more fish for the pond," she had happily making Bilbo smile.

"That's what _you _want, water Lily," he said placing his arm around her.

"What are you two doing here?" Rosa asked when she saw the two.

"We're looking for something for my mamma, uncle Bilbo wants to show her how much he loves her," Lily answered before Bilbo could get a word in, and his cheeks grew very red as he looked at his feet.

"Is that so?" Rosa asked bemusedly. "Well I know just the thing." She took Bilbo's arm and nearly dragged him toward the table she meant.

"Those sure are beautiful," Lily said in awe as she stared at the great many hair clips.

"Yes they are, Pearl has been admiring these for a while now," Rosa said nudging Bilbo. "Which do you think she'd like best?"

_How am I supposed to know?_ he thought to himself. _I know nothing of a woman's tastes. _But he looked long and hard at the table, one of the few that did not belong to a hobbit, seeing many elegant hair clips of assorted jewels and some of fine gold. He looked them all over not finding one that struck him as something Pearl should have, except for one. It almost looked like it was made of glass, a deep blue glass that swirled with the blues and greens of the sea. Embedded in the glass were shells and pearls, and what Bilbo thought might be diamonds. Which he turned out to be right, and it cost a heavy price to get it.

"She'll love it uncle Bilbo, just you wait," Lily said nearly skipping as they walked home.

Bilbo knew she would, he could almost see the look of awe on her face when she saw it; the one where her lips would part and he'd find himself wanting to kiss her the most.

"Hello you two," Pearl said waving as they came up the walk to her door, seeing her small basket of vegetables she had picked from her garden for supper.

"Hey Mamma!" Lily exclaimed before running the rest of the way to hug her. "Do I have to eat the peppers?" she said nearly whining.

"You always have to eat the peppers," Pearl told her before ordering her to wash up. "You were gone for some time," she said when Bilbo made it to her.

"We ran across Rosa, she says hello too," he said, not realizing how long he had spent trying to find the right gift. "Allow me," he offered as he lifted the basket and followed her inside.

"I thank you kindly," she said with a small smile.

"That smells glorious," Bilbo said upon entering the house, smelling his favorite roasted meat.

"Well good," Pearl said taking the basket. "I made it just for you."

Bilbo saw her smile, saw it was almost shy and he felt that seed of hope growing even larger though he tried to squash it. "Thank you, is there an occasion?" he asked wondering if she remembered what this day was, for they had never celebrated it before, only spoken of it.

"Of course," she said smiling. "I will always remember the day you found me."

"As will I," he told her, his hand comfortable on the small of her back as he watched her cook. He had never minded touching her before, surely his touches had never meant so much, though now he noticed the way in which she fit his hand as though made for him to hold. And she had never minded either though he thought she might if he knew what they meant, which was why he was so incredibly nervous.

"Eat your vegetables, Lily," Pearl said when she saw her daughter pushing them around on her plate, and then as Lily sighed heavily before shoving them all in her mouth.

"This was positively the best meal I have ever eaten," Bilbo said when he'd finished, making Pearl smile proud at herself.

"Thank you but I could not ask you to clean the dishes," she said when he rose to collect the plates. "You have already done so much."

Bilbo smiled and sat back down watching as Pearl collected the dishes, and then listened as she sang, her beautiful voice not so spellbinding the longer she stayed on land.

"Bilbo," Pearl called setting his heart to racing with the way her voice curled around his name.

"Yes Pearl," he said coming into the kitchen.

"Would you get Lily from the pond and make sure she gets ready for bed, she has school on the morn," Pearl asked looking at him with a hopeful face.

"Of course," he happily agreed before calling Lily in.

"Did you give it to her yet?" she whispered.

"I will after you are in bed," he told her as he shooed her toward the tub.

"Are you going to kiss her?" Lily asked with a small giggle.

Bilbo stared at her in surprise before shaking his head flustered, his red cheeks making Lily giggle more. He sat on the sofa waiting while Pearl tucked Lily in, having already kissed her goodnight himself, and listened to Pearl's lovely voice mingle with Lily's childishly sweet one.

"Well she seemed very excited," Pearl said suspiciously coming to sit beside Bilbo. "Would you like to tell me why?"

Looking in her eyes he knew she was aware something was going on and that it had to do with her, the only problem was Bilbo's courage. _I have faced down trolls and spiders, stolen from and spoken with a dragon. Why in the bloody world is this so hard?_ he thought, staring at her beautiful expectant face. "I bought you something," he mumbled without meeting her eyes.

She smiled at his fumbling, having never understood from which it derived. "Oh Bilbo, you did not have to do that," she told him.

"Of course I did," he said finally looking up at her, finding his courage. "This day means as much to me as it does to you, you have been a joy in my life," he told her, searching his pockets until he found the small wrapped gift.

Pearl was touched by his words, more so than she thought she should be. She had never truly known how Bilbo felt about finding her, she only knew she was grateful for it.

"Here," he said placing the wrapped hair clip in her hands and watching as her nimble fingers undid the paper.

"It's beautiful, Bilbo,I love it," she breathed when she saw it, the diamonds embedded in the sea glass sparkled in the light, and the blue sea glass swirled with blues and greens and purples and the shells and pearls within it making it look very much like the under the sea. "How ever did you know I wanted one?"

Bilbo shrugged smiling coyly, pleased with the shining in her eyes. "Oh," he said startled when she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him with all the might she had. It felt so natural to hold her, to have her pressed again him; it was thinking on those things that allowed him to make the mistake that he did.

She released him and he did the same, sitting back to watch as she pulled her hair back and fastened it with the pin. "How does it look?" she asked.

In truth Bilbo did not think she had ever looked more beautiful, her hair pulled back so only a few strands brushed her face, her long curls falling over her shoulders so her face was unmasked and positively lovely. "You're beautiful," he said softly as he stared at her and she smiled at him in thanks.

"Bilbo?" she asked when she saw the look on his face, when she felt something familiar flutter in her chest at the way his eyes felt on her. It was that familiarity that had her meeting his lips when he leaned forward, her hands coming up to cup his face, his cheeks smooth and hairless beneath her fingertips. It had been years since she had felt this, though it was far sweeter and softer than any of Thorin's kisses, it was a relief to be feeling it again – for it to be Bilbo who was the one kissing her.

_Thorin_ His name was a knife in her heart and she nearly jerked away from Bilbo when she realized what she had done; what her desire of Bilbo meant.

Bilbo watched as she brought a hand to her mouth, her lips part in shock, her eyes wide and appalled shining with tears. It was seeing the tears in her eyes that made him move and he rushed out of her hobbit-hole and into the night, realizing just what a mistake he had made. _You're a fool, Bilbo Baggins,_ he said cursing himself and the burning in his eyes. _A fool to ever think she would love you._


	41. until you're running

_Kaia: well thank you very much. The ending was hard to write cause Bilbo's such a sweetheart. Pearl would have fallen for Bilbo if not for Thorin, I don't think it would have taken as long for her to develop feelings for Bilbo (cause he's not so hard to love). I'm glad you liked the description, I wasn't sure how I did with it. _

* * *

Once Bilbo had left Pearl had retreated to her room and covered her face with her hands and wept. She cried until she couldn't breathe, trying her best to muffle her sobs so Lily would not wake. She cried and she cried, her stomach clenched and her sides aching, until finally she was relieved when sleep found her.

_The first thing she did when she saw Thorin was throw her arms around him, breathing in the smell of him that she had almost forgotten, refelt his arms as he held her tight against him. And she cried. It was several long minutes of him holding her, loosing his own tears though they were a sparse few, before her tears would cease. _

_She felt his hand cup her head and his thumb wiping her wet cheeks as she leaned her head against his chest. There was no hesitation, no reason to doubt the rightness of their actions, their lips molded perfectly together as they always had. There was passion and fire and desperation in the way their tongues danced, in the way they held each other; this was not a kiss of goodbye. _

_It was a long while before they pulled away and Thorin stared at her beautiful face; she had not aged a day though he did not think she ever would. Hers was a face he would never forget, her song beating within his heart; the same way she lived, in memory of him. But he was dead, and living as she did was destroying her. _

_She smiled at him, having forgotten small pieces of him she had taken for granted. Her face was raw from his beard, it scratching her hand as she cupped his cheek; she had missed it. _Bilbo's face is so soft, his lips so full and sweet._ Her eyes widened from the thought, tears filling them again. _How is it I still think of Bilbo when staring Thorin in eye?_ she thought, hating herself for the betrayal of her mind. _

_Thorin sighed when she turned from him, knowing she was distressed at her thoughts; knowing who was now consuming her. _

"_It is okay to love him," Thorin said wrapping his arms around her and turning her towards him. _

_Pearl stared up him, cheeks glistening with tears. "That makes no sense," she said pitifully. _

"_Tell me you are happy," he told her. "Look me in the eye and tell me you wake every day wanting to live." He knew without her answering that she was not happy, that she did honestly wish to be with him even if that meant death; she was with him every passing moment, even if he was not with her. _

_But there were moments when he could not feel her, when she was gone. It wasn't until he spoke with his daughter that he realized Bilbo was taking her from him. It would be a lie if he said he hadn't been angry, if he said he hadn't cursed the hobbit. He had, he had spent a long while hating Bilbo – hating him for being with Pearl and having her love, when he himself wanted it so much – but when Bilbo left her and he could feel her again all he saw was her pain; he could not hate his burglar for taking her pain. _

"_This isn't how it was supposed to be," she whispered, not understanding why she felt anything for Bilbo nor why Thorin was not angry. _

"_No it isn't," he agreed, wiping her face with his thumb once more.  
He held her for a long while, reveling in being able to feel her again knowing he needed to let her go. "He loves you," he said quietly. _

"_He isn't you," she insisted knowing as her husband, even in death, she should not desire anyone else. _

_He smiled, her love for him astounding him. "He makes you happy," he said holding her away from him so he could see her. "I could never have made you that happy, not so near the gold." _

"_I could have brought you back," she said, and they both knew she could have for his love for her was greater than gold. _

"_You should not have to," he told her gently. "That is not what marriage is. I wish I could have shown you." _

_Pearl stared at him not understanding, thinking all marriage was was when two people were declared forever to love one another, was when if one of them fell the other would help them stand, it was home; and she had lost hers. "I can't love him," she said softly. _

"_Why not?" _

_She shook her head. "I can't," she said again. "Not without losing you." _

"_You will never lose me," he told her, smiling gently. "I won't ever leave you." _

"_But I will. If I love him then you will be no more than a memory, one that I can move on from. And you're not," she said, her voice breaking. _

_He could do no more than hold her, no words would ever replace what his greed had taken from him; what it had taken from her – Bilbo would not hurt her as he had. "You love him," he said knowing it was true. _

"_I love you," she said firmly, denying her own feelings. _

"_He would make you happy. I want that for you," he said, silencing her refusal. "Let him love you, and let yourself love him in return. _That_ is what want." He could still see the apprehensive refusal and he sighed. "Pearl, please," he said nearly begging. "Let me have peace knowing you are happy and loved. That Lily is loved." He knew it was almost cruel to bring Lily up, but he wished more than anything to no longer see her mourn him; knowing she would spend the rest of her days doing so. He could not be so selfish, not with her. She opened her mouth to respond and he quieted her with another kiss, and this time it meant goodbye._

"Momma?"  
Pearl woke to Lily shaking her gently and the sun shining on her skin. "Yes my flower?" she asked sitting up, parts of her hair falling in her face. It took a moment before she remembered the previous night and Bilbo's gift. The clip was still beautiful, maybe more so in the sunlight where the blue looked like the sea with the sun shining through the water.

"Did you like your gift?" Lily asked hopefully.

"I loved it," Pearl said honestly before pulling her hair back and pinning it.

"Uncle Bilbo has not come yet, did something happen?" Lily asked, not understanding in her child's knowledge why Bilbo had not come that morning if her mother loved him too.

"How late in the morning is it?" Pearl asked making her way to the kitchen.

"Near lunch," Lily said, having eaten a few dried pieces of sea kelp – the only "vegetable" she did enjoy. "Rosa is expecting me."

"Then I suppose you should run along. Would you like something to eat first?" Pearl asked, feeling guilty for slacking in her duty as a mother.

"No, Rosa said I can help make lunch and then I can make it for you." Lily kissed her mother before running to Rosa's home, and Pearl put on a new dress and made for Bilbo's.

"Hello Pearl," he said surprised, tying his robe quickly embarrassed at his state.

"Hello," she said quietly. He moved aside and motioned her in and she stood trying to speak, until finally she told Bilbo about seeing Thorin.

Bilbo sat beside her in shock, both at hearing that Thorin had come to her – which was unheard of as far as he knew – and that Thorin had wished Pearl to admit she loved Bilbo.

Pearl realized once she had told him everything that she should not have admitted her own feelings for Bilbo that she was questioning, that she could not admit to feeling for she feared losing what little she had left of Thorin.

It was hearing those feelings that floored Bilbo, at the realization that she felt _something_ for him and that he was not a fool for loving her. She saw the change in his eyes, the same as the night before when they had kissed; and he in turn saw the look in her eye change to one of caution.

"I," she started, trying not to upset him for she had not thought he would be so quick to forgive her. "I need time." His hand was warm as it wrapped around hers, and he squeezed hers gently.

"I'll give you anything you need."

* * *

_So I am guessing from the slow reviewing that some people are getting done with the story, so (unless told otherwise) I will start speeding things up and possibly have this story done in two chapters. _


	42. no it won't be long til you break

_Kaia: thank you very much, as a writer that means a lot to hear._

_Madeline: Thank you for reviewing. Don't worry, I won't tell him :)_

_Maggie: I'm sorry you don't like the direction I took, I knew some people wouldn't, but I at least wanted her to have some sort of happy ending. As for Lily, being a girl she has no right to the throne. And at this point the dwarves don't know about her, and Pearl doesn't understand kings and queens and kingdoms so that's never a thought she thinks about. But Lily herself cannot be queen._

* * *

Bilbo gave her all the time she needed, was planning to give her more than she actually ended up needing. It was a year after Thorin had visited Pearl that Rosa fell ill and then only two months before she died. It was Rosa's death that was the catalyst to Pearl finally admitting what everyone wanted her to.

"Rosa was hurting, water Lily," Bilbo said gently as he held her, smoothing her hair as she cried.

"She's in a better place," Lily said pitifully, sniffing greatly from all her tears. "She won't hurt anymore."

"No she won't," Bilbo said looking at Pearl, knowing this was hurting her the most.

"But I want her back," Lily cried and Bilbo sat rocking her, listening to her crying without end.

Pearl hardly felt anything, not her fingers nor her body nor the tears welling behind her eyes threatening to escape; she was numb. But she sat on the bed and Lily crawled in her lap and she held her daughter, feeling the flutter of Lily's heartbeat and the hot tears on her neck as her daughter cried.

_Tie me to the end of a kite  
So I can go on with my life  
And every marigold I pass below will be my guiding light  
I just want to go away from here  
_

_Tie me ever tightly by your side  
So I may go with you wherever you reside  
And anytime the road looks dimmer I will be your guiding light  
I just want to go away with you_

Pearl's voice was so low and sad that even Bilbo, who had refused to cry, was fighting tears. Though when he was alone he would hold the ring in his hand, often putting it on his finger to feel the pull it brought; it was for that reason her song did not effect him as it did Lily who was now fast asleep against her mother's chest. Bilbo did however hear all of Pearl's pain.

Pearl gently laid her daughter down and covered her before leaving the room and closing the door. She shook her head at Bilbo, silencing him, and walked quickly out of her hobbit-hole.

"Pearl?" Bilbo asked concerned, seeing her wringing her hands together as she paced beneath the stars.

"I can't," she started, tears in her voice.

"Pearl," Bilbo said reaching out for her though she recoiled.

"She's dead, Rosa's dead," Pearl said looking so despaired and confused. "Everyone keeps dying. Thorin and Fili and Kili. Now Rosa too. And then," she said stopping as sobs escaped her lips. "You will die too."

"Pearl," Bilbo exclaimed appalled at her thoughts, knowing now that she was afraid. "I am not going to die," he tried to assure her.

"But you will. Don't you see, you'll die just like everyone else. And then I'll be here alone."

"Stop this," he ordered taking hold of her shoulders and making her face him. "Now you look at me." He waited until she looked up at him with her tear filled eyes. "I will not leave you. You will never lose me," he swore holding her, feeling her shake against him. He promised her that he would never die, that he would live with her forever, though they both knew it to be untrue. But given the choice he would not leave her, he would give up everything – even the ring – if it meant living forever with her.

He held her for a long while until she calmed, her tears drying in the night air. And even after he still held her, his arms around her back and hers around his waist, and they stood together breathing.

"You won't leave me," she whispered looking at him for conformation.

"Never," he swore and she surprised him only moments later by capturing his mouth with her own. In truth he had not kissed many people, and certainly he had never kissed anyone the way Pearl was kissing him. She tasted of salt, her lips soft pillows and her tongue dancing slowly with his. It took him a few long minutes before he realized just what it was Pearl was saying – she was ready to love him.

It of course did not happen immediately, though Lily greatly wished for it too. It seemed Lily poured all her sadness at Rosa's death into seeing her mother and Bilbo happy and in love. It took the span of months, Bilbo coming every morning sometimes with nothing more than a good morning other times with flowers, he would greet her with a kiss on the cheek and then he would say hello to Lily. He would spend his day with Pearl, sitting in a chair as she gave singing lessons, listening to the lovely way her voice lilted whether she was speaking or singing. He would then help Pearl prepare dinner, often times standing back and watching her move, and then he would help put Lily to bed.

It was when night fell that Pearl would kiss him, never as heated as when she was telling him of her love; they were soft kisses, gentle ones, their tongues greeting each other timidly. After he would sometimes sit on the bank and watch her swim, once he had undressed her himself – which had both flustered and warmed him, and he could hardly hide his desire and he did not do it again. Though he never swam with her, nor did he ever ask; he knew that was a memory only Thorin could have – just as marriage was.

Bilbo supposed he was courting Pearl, though he would never ask for her hand; he was pleased enough to receive her love and all the things it had to offer, though many of them were improper. But it was Pearl and so he did not care.

They continued on much the same, Bilbo often sleeping in her bed – though never did he allow her to seduce him out of his clothes, in that he was still a proper gentleman – holding her close as they slept. It was not until one afternoon, when Pearl and Bilbo were in his hobbit-hole sitting quietly together on his sofa as Lily built something she'd learned while being schooled, the bell on Bilbo's door rang.

Thinking nothing of it Bilbo stood, reluctantly removing Pearl's legs from his lap, and made for the door not expecting who was on the other side.

"Balin! Gandalf!" he said pleased, capturing Pearl's attention as well.

"Bilbo Baggins," Balin said fondly as he briefly hugged Bilbo before sizing the small hobbit up to see he was well. Bilbo then greeted Gandalf and Balin's eyes found Pearl. "My queen," he said fondly seeing the warm smile on her face, having thought her dead from last he saw her after Thorin had died. His smile slipped away from shock when he saw the young girl at Pearl's side, staring at him with curious eyes that were not the color of Pearl's.  
"Mahal," he breathed as he stared at Thorin's child; as he stared at Thorin's heir.

* * *

_The song is Kite Song by Rosie Thomas. Sorry this one took so long, I started a new hobbit story about Snow White with Dwalin. I'll try to keep it even between writing chapters for that one and writing ones for this one. I have a question to anyone who knows. In the song I am using for chapter titles, Siren Song by Bat for Lashes; in the last chorus she does "and the stars are exploding lights, it won't be long until you're running. No it won't be long til you're _. I don't know what she says at that part. I wanna say she says either dead or break but I'm not sure. So does anyone know?  
_


	43. it won't be long until you're dead

_Zephyr: Yeah that works until the websites don't all say the same thing. So I didn't know which one to go with, and I apparently hear something different than anyone else does. _

_Kaia: I had thought it said break after listening a few times, though when I first heard it I thought she said "It won't be long until you're dead" which I thought was kind of creepy but really awesome considering it's about a siren. _

_Maggie: Yeah, her going to Erebor (and why she doesn't) is discussed in this chapter by Bilbo and Balin. So I hope it answers everything. _

_Katie: thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it. I have three Thorin stories including this one. I have another one with Fili but there's a lot of Thorin in it too, as well as one for Thranduil which has a lot of Thorin too. But he dies in all of them. So maybe after I finish a few stories I'll start one where I won't kill Thorin._

* * *

Balin continued to stare at Lily, making her nervous that she had done something wrong; it was something her mamma did, when Lily had done something wrong Pearl would never yell or punish her. Instead Pearl would look at her, disappointment shining in her eyes as she stared at Lily, before she would turn away and act as though Lily had done nothing. Lily did not like seeing she had upset her mother and so she would apologize, maybe not right off but she could last no more than a day of those disappointed sea blue eyes before Lily would beg her mother's forgiveness.

This is what was running through Lily's mind as the old dwarf stared at her, mouth agape and shocked wonder in his eyes.

"Balin," Pearl said, stealing his gaze from her daughter's face, "this is Lily. Lily," Pearl said turning to Lily, hesitating briefly, "this is your father's oldest friend."

"You knew my papa?" Lily asked happily, wondering if it would not hurt him too much to ask about her father.

"Yes," Balin said, all he could manage to say in that moment.

"Would you both like something to eat?" Bilbo asked coming to stand beside Pearl, taking her hand in his own and feeling her squeeze his tightly.

Balin looked from Lily to Pearl, down to where her and Bilbo's hands were connected, and then to Bilbo. "Yes," he said again, smiling before looking back to Lily.

"Yes, that would do," Gandalf said from behind Balin, smiling as he looked down at the mermaid and the hobbit; having guessed when he saw Pearl that there had been a reason she had not faded and was not too surprised at seeing her daughter.

"I will make you both something," Pearl offered with a smile. "Would you like some too?" she asked Bilbo.

"Maybe a small bit," he said releasing her hand so she could go to the kitchen.

"Do you need any help, Momma?" Lily called after Pearl. "I'm very good at helping," Lily said to Balin and Gandalf shyly, having scooted closer to Bilbo when her momma had left.

"I could always use your help," Pearl said warmly and Lily happily followed after.

"In all my days," Balin muttered looking after both his queen and Lily, who was a princess.

"It was a great surprise to me too," Bilbo said, smiling broadly at the two for in truth he had greatly missed them.

"I am glad she had you to turn to," Balin said clapping Bilbo on the shoulder affectionately, and Bilbo swelled with pride at how great a compliment that was.

"Yes," Gandalf agreed. "I do believe you are part of the reason she has stayed."

"I can't take that much credit," Bilbo said bashfully. "It was mostly Lily."

"She could have left the child with you and then gone to the sea," Gandalf mused, staring hard at Bilbo. "I would say it was her care for you why she did not."

Bilbo blushed, having never thought he had been a reason Pearl stayed; had not dreamed he meant that much to her. "She misses him," he said simply, for they all knew of who Bilbo spoke of.

"We all do," Balin agreed sadly. "It is alright to love her, I think he may have wanted it."

"He did," Bilbo said without thinking, staring at Balin in surprise as he realized how strange that sounded.

Balin gave Bilbo a queer look, wondering just what the hobbit had meant. It did not take much prying to get Bilbo to admit what Pearl had said about seeing Thorin. "Mahal is good," Balin said nodding, not surprised Thorin had been granted that pass; Thorin Oakenshield had always been a force to be reckoned with, even in death it seemed.

"Has it ever been known to happen?" Bilbo asked Gandalf.

"Not that I am aware," Gandalf answered, having been the one to question Bilbo the most for answers.

"The same could be said for seeing a mermaid," Balin said smiling. "And now we have Pearl." Balin took note of Bilbo's smile, of the way the hobbit's eyes followed after Pearl as she set the food on the table, and then as Bilbo took her hand in his as she sat by his side.

They moved to Bilbo's sitting room once they had finished eating, small talk being exchanged. Pearl smiled as Balin asked Lily all about her life in the Shire, and as Lily excitedly answered.

"Time for bed," Pearl said when Lily yawned.

"But Momma," Lily whined half-heartedly, she was very tired but she wished to stay with them all.

"We will still be here in the morning," Balin said kindly. "If it is alright we stay?" he asked Bilbo.

"Of course," Bilbo said quickly. "You are both welcome to stay as long as you like." He lifted Lily, carrying her to the room she often stayed in when they slept in Bilbo's hobbit-hole. They both kissed Lily goodnight, though she had fallen asleep in Bilbo's arms as he carried her.

"Will you still be going swimming?" he asked as he closed the door.

"Would you mind?" she asked, not wanting to leave him should he wish her to stay.

"I'd rather watch you," he said in a moment of courage, not typically brave enough to remark flirtatiously. He was rewarded with a large smile from Pearl and then a full mouthed kiss, before she returned to Balin and Gandalf and excused herself.

"It is good to know she is being cared for," Balin said when Bilbo returned.

"I do not mind," Bilbo insisted. "Lily is a joy."

"That she is, and she is lucky to have you to take the place of Thorin," Balin said in agreement. "Though that is not the she I meant."

Bilbo blushed again, cursing himself for doing it. "Yes, well, she is my closest friend."

"She is more than that," Balin said smiling sympathetically, knowing Bilbo was uncomfortable.

"Do you think it is alright that I love her?" he asked uncertainly, thoughts of Thorin sometimes sneaking upon him in the strangest moments.

Balin sighed before nodding. "I do not think she could have survived if you did not. For what it's worth, I believe she loves you just as much."

Bilbo smiled softly. "It was not easy for her to realize she did." A thought snagged in Bilbo's mind, one he had been thinking of since Balin had called Lily a princess earlier. "Will you take her?"

Balin was surprised at his question, for it had been something he too had been wondering. "I do not think it would do any party involved good," he admitted though somewhat reluctantly.

"What do you mean?" Bilbo asked, wanting to make sure he understood.

"Lily is happy here, as is Pearl. And they both love you dearly. Lily, other than her father, has no right to the throne. She would more likely than not be betrothed to Dain's son for she is the rightful princess," Balin answered, wondering if he was doing the right thing.

"So you are saying that Lily's place is here, not in Erebor?" Bilbo asked.

"I am saying Lily will stay here where no harm will come to her. It is what Thorin would have wanted," Balin said firmly, knowing he was doing right. "Though if Pearl were to have had a son," Balin said letting the ending hang, and they all knew what he meant; there would be no choice but for the prince of Erebor to return to the dwarf kingdom.

Balin and Gandalf did not stay for more than a week, they would have left sooner had Balin not discovered his king and queen had an heir who was almost as charming as her mother; not nearly as enchanting though it was wearing off of Pearl the longer she kept to land. Balin left with Bilbo's promise he would love Pearl and keep her happy, as well Lily who looked at Bilbo for he was; the only father she had ever known.

Balin left with the hope of returning, though years later he along with Ori and Oin met their end in the dark caves in Moria.

Gandalf, however, visited Bilbo and Pearl, and he visited them often. Watching the love grow between them, a love that was sweeter than hers and Thorin's though not as strong; at least not yet.


	44. cause I'm evil

The more years past the more Lily grew, and she proved to be just as lovely as her mother – and just as charming. As she grew into womanhood she acquired many suiters, though none who captured her heart quite like the handsome sturdy Tolman Cotton. He was only a few years older than she, and one of the sweetest men she'd met, and he positively adored her. He courted her for years, winning both Pearl's and Bilbo's blessing to take her hand in marriage.

It the happiest day in Pearl's life, even happier than when she and Bilbo visited Rivendell or when Gandalf came to visit or even her days with Thorin. Looking at her daughter in the white dress she'd made with flowers in her hair, Pearl did not know if she would ever know a happiness more true.

Pearl would later say the same thing when she held her first grandson, and then again with her two other grandsons, and then again with her granddaughter. Rosie Cotton grew to be a sweet bubbly hobbit who would later marry Samwise Gamgee. But by then Pearl and Bilbo had left the Shire and were living in Rivendell.

Bilbo acquired quite the reputation among the hobbits in Hobbiton; he was queer, he sought adventure which was entirely unheard of for hobbits, and he never seemed to age. Seventy seven years after he returned from the quest of the dwarves and he looked not a day older – neither did Pearl. And all the charm in the world could not stop the gossip that spread around both she and Bilbo. Their relationship was seen to be wholly indecent, for Pearl eventually moved back into Bag End – leaving Lily her hobbit-hole when she was old enough to be on her own. And all of that might have been fine and well, but the two were not wed. And nor would they ever.

Both Bilbo and Pearl had a fondness for his nephew Frodo – though Pearl had a special place in her heart for Pippin, who reminded her greatly of both Fili and Kili. It was Pearl who suggested Bilbo take in young Frodo after his parents died, and Bilbo being in love her as he was never thought of disagreeing.

But both she and Frodo saw as the years passed Bilbo retreat further into himself, often sitting alone and sometimes disappearing all together. Pearl knew it was the ring, for she had seen him use it many times before. But he assured her it had no hold over him. And Pearl, loving him as she did, trusted him with the naiveté only a mermaid could.

But nearing Bilbo's one hundred and elventh birthday, it was Pearl who suggested they leave the Shire. And so on his birthday she sat in Lily's home and bid her daughter farewell – it was a long goodbye, a sad one, but a necessary goodbye all the same. She returned to Bag End to see Bilbo with both their things speaking with Gandalf. Unknown to her, Gandalf had used Bilbo's love of her to get Bilbo to part with the ring. The two traveled with three dwarves to Dale, and the Lonely Mountain.

It would have been her home, her kingdom, and Thorin at her side. But as they walked through the halls Pearl found that the ache in her heart had grown less, and she remembered Thorin with only the fondest of memories; but neither her love nor her longing for him had lessened. They did not stay long in Erebor, Pearl did not wish to, and so they made for Rivendell where they settled down.

They were happy there, Bilbo was lighter and more himself. And Pearl was able to swim as she pleased. But without the ring Bilbo began to age, and rapidly. It was then Pearl truly began to realize that Bilbo would die. She treasured the years as best she could, but long where the days Bilbo had lusted for the ring and so he was never truly the same hobbit he had once been. But his love for her had never faded, not even as he grew older. Pearl never aged, at least not her face; but she was tired, and in truth she was old. And so twenty years after they left the Shire, after the ring was destroyed, she sailed to the Undying Lands with Bilbo where they lived the remainder of their days. It seemed the older the Bilbo grew, the closer to passing he came, the wearier Pearl became. And when Bilbo was finally laid to rest, Pearl too gave up her hold on life. And she faded.

Her time on land had rooted her heart into the soil of Middle Earth. She did not cease to exist. Instead she opened her eyes to the purest of light, and she took Thorin's hand. She had finally returned to him. And there their spirits stayed wrapped in light and peace.

* * *

_Please don't hate me too much for ending this in one chapter, or for how long this took. I'm very sorry. And if I were to be honest, this was probably the only way I'd ever actually end up finishing this story. I do hope you enjoyed how I ended it though, I hadn't planned on her going with Thorin but then I thought - what the hell - and did it._ _I am truly grateful to all of you for reading and reviewing, it really does mean a lot to me. So thank you._


	45. A Special Thanks to Guest Reviewers

For those of the guests who reviewed that I couldn't thank personally. And if i get more reviews from guests then I'll update this with a thanks, so look on the next day and there should be one.

Kaia: thank you so much for all of your reviews, even though you hadn't quite liked her and Bilbo. I'm so glad you still kept reading, it meant so much to me. And I'm very glad you liked the ending, I have to say I kind of ended up loving having her go with Thorin.

Littleflower19: I would really like to thank you for reviewing. I absolutely loved getting your review. I'm glad you liked how I did the ending, I at least wanted there to be an ending even if it was in just one chapter. And I'm so happy to hear that my story touched you, or at least the last bit where she's finally with Thorin again. My confidence in writing is slowly building, I've only been writing for about two years so I'm still not really sure how I'm doing. I actually do have a LOTR story, with Legolas, called A Dark and Terrible Beauty. It does have a prequel that's under the hobbit though, called Hopeless Wanderer, but you actually don't really have to read that in order to read the LOTR one. Unless you want to, then I would happy that you did.


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